Mob Mentality
by ALLingames
Summary: AU Modern Day. Katniss's dad got on the wrong side of some bad people. When tragedy strikes, Katniss must marry her best friend, Peeta, for protection.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own THE HUNGER GAMES. It all belongs to Suzanne Collins.**

**Chapter 1**

BANG! BANG! BANG!

"What the fuck?" Katniss Everdeen shot straight out of bed, the pounding noise disrupting her slumber. She glared at the angry blocked numbers that shone red through the darkness, which let her know that it was past two o'clock in the morning. Flipping over on the mattress, Katniss buried her head into her pillows, trying to will herself back to sleep, but the beating on her door continued. And now that Katniss was awake, she could hear a faint buzzing sound emanating from her nightstand. Groaning, she leaned over and scooped up her cell phone, the small square screen lit up with seventeen missed calls. "Shit."

Katniss rolled out of bed, yawning as she did so, and made her way out of her bedroom toward the front door of her apartment, her feet stepping on the ends of her overly large sweatpants as she did so. Groaning once more as she heard the knocking again, Katniss swung open the door to reveal the grinning face of her best friend, Peeta Mellark.

"Took you long enough," Peeta said as he let himself into her apartment, brushing by her with a quick squeeze of her shoulders. "I was only waiting out there for twenty minutes. Not to mention, I called you about eight billion times."

"I was asleep, you moron," Katniss retorted. "And my phone was on vibrate. What are you even doing here?"

"Needed a place to crash," Peeta said simply.

"Katniss?"

Katniss spun around quickly at the sound of her name. Behind her stood her roommate, Madge Undersee, blonde hair mused and sleep in her eyes.

"What's going on? What was all that noise?"

"Sorry, Madge. It was nothing. Just Peeta being his annoying self. He's going to stay here tonight. Go back to bed."

"M'kay," Madge mumbled and tottered her way down the hallway back to her room.

Katniss turned back to Peeta and followed him into the depths of her apartment, watching as he unceremoniously dropped onto the couch. She appraised his bloodshot blue eyes and messy blond hair. He was obviously already dressed for bed in sweatpants and a baggy, plain white t-shirt that she knew hid a well toned body.

"I didn't mean to wake Madge up," Peeta said quietly.

"Though clearly you have no problem disrupting my sleep," Katniss replied sarcastically. "You have other friends, you know. You don't need to call me every time your homeless ass needs refuge."

"But none of my other friends are nearly as pleasant as you when woken in the middle of the night."

Katniss rolled her eyes at Peeta's response, but she couldn't lie and say she didn't enjoy their banter. "Why do you need a place to stay this time?"

"Gale came back with a guest and he wished to _entertain_ her."

"So you were sexiled."

Peeta smirked. "You say that like this is the first time."

At that statement, Katniss snorted. She was too aware of the details of the sex lives of both Gale and Peeta. The first because Peeta turned up on her doorstep practically weekly looking for shelter and the latter because Peeta was her best friend; they told each other everything.

"It's fucking Wednesday, Peeta. And it's almost 2:30 in the morning. You couldn't ask him to keep it in his pants?"

Peeta's eyes widened dramatically. "I can't be a cock block! That goes against the male code."

Katniss rolled her eyes again and made toward the closet to get Peeta clean sheets for the pullout couch. "Did he at least know her name this time?"

"Oh yeah." Peeta's mouth lifted slightly at the corners. "He definitely knew her name. It was Delly."

Katniss eyes snapped back to Peeta's in an instant. "Delly? As in Delly Cartwright? As in your ex?"

Peeta laughed as he got up and started throwing the couch cushions into the corner. He used one hand to glide the bed gently from its concealed position. "Yup. And you can take that shocked and disgusted look off your face. I'm perfectly fine if he wants a go at my sloppy seconds."

"Peeta!" Katniss scolded as she aimed a couple pillows at his head. Peeta just laughed harder and ducked out of the way before grabbing at the cushions on the floor in retaliation. Soon, it became a full-fledged pillow fight, each attacking the other with vigor and attempting to keep their shrieks at low volume. Ten minutes later, they fell exhaustedly onto the bed, Katniss head resting on Peeta's shoulders while his arms wrapped around her waist.

They both breathed heavily and remained in silence until Peeta spoke. "If you really don't want me to bother you every time I need a place to stay, I won't."

"No, Peeta," Katniss said, shaking her head against his body. "It's not that. I like when you stay here. It's just…sometimes I think it's a little insensitive to Madge."

"Shit," Peeta groaned. "I didn't even think about that. Do you think she knows why I come here?"

Katniss shrugged. "We've never really talked about it. But she must have some idea. Don't you think?"

"Unless she thinks I'm just your booty call."

"Ha ha, Peeta. Very funny," Katniss deadpanned.

"Yeah, that's not very believable is it?" Peeta questioned, looking down at his best friend lying in his arms. He loved Katniss, just not in _that_ way. It wasn't that he didn't find her attractive; it was just that thinking about her in _that_ way made him uncomfortable. Being best friends with someone since kindergarten doesn't tend to help in the romance department. But he wouldn't trade Katniss for anything and he knew that she felt the same way about him.

"Would she say anything if it was bothering her?"

Katniss thought for a moment, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth. "Probably not. She's trying to pretend that the breakup doesn't bother her anymore, but I know that it does. She's trying to hide it from me because she doesn't want it to affect my friendship with Gale."

"Great," Peeta sighed sardonically. "Madge is holding everything in and Gale is trying to take his mind off of it by fucking everything in a skirt."

"We have great friends, don't we?"

"Some things are just tough to move on from," Peeta's voice dropped to a whisper. "How are you doing, by the way?"

Katniss exhaled, her exhaustion suddenly feeling overwhelming. She closed her eyes against the automatic threat of tears. She knew Peeta didn't mean to upset her. This was just her innate reaction to that question these days because it made her think about things she'd rather never think about.

"As well as I can be doing, I suppose," she replied. "I still have to fight tears on a daily basis because I miss him so much. But at least I'm able to drag my ass out of bed every morning."

"I'm proud of you, Kat," Peeta whispered into her ear, tightening his grip on her waist and bringing her closer. "Your dad would be proud of you too."

A tear escaped Katniss's grip and rolled daintily down her cheek. "Thanks, Peeta."

Peeta carefully wiped away the few traitorous tears, his heart breaking knowing how much pain she was in. "Lets talk about something else. Prim's coming this weekend. You must be excited to see her."

"Of course. But I haven't really seen her since a couple days after Dad's funeral. I'm scared we're going to end up spending the weekend locked in my room bawling our eyes out."

"I won't allow it," Peeta stated, shaking his head. "I also haven't seen Prim since then so I will provide enough entertainment to keep you both sufficiently distracted."

Katniss yawned, her entire mouth stretched wide open. "You're the best," she told Peeta with a lazy drawl. "Now I need to go to bed because it's past three and you've already taken enough time away from my beauty sleep."

Katniss climbed out of his bed, looking as if the movement took great effort. "Night, Peeta," she called over her shoulder as she shuffled her feet back to her bedroom, looking forward to finally getting the rest she so desired. Once there, she fell face first onto the mattress and passed out before she had the opportunity to summon the strength to pull the comforter over her body.

She was awoken by Peeta several hours later, his hands gripping her shoulders tightly and his pale face swimming in her vision. Katniss gasped for air and lay immobile, still paralyzed by fear from her nightmare.

"Thank god, Katniss," Peeta said. "You scared the shit out of me. You were screaming and shaking and you wouldn't wake up."

At the sound of Peeta's voice, Katniss's paralysis broke and she burst into tears, tremendous sobs wracking her body. Peeta gathered her in his arms and brought her into his chest, rocking her back and forth as though she was a small child.

"You're still having nightmares?" Peeta asked. "Why was this one so bad?"

"It – it was the s-same one I always h-have," Katniss cried into Peeta's shirt. "With the e-e-elevator. But this time P-Prim was inside! It's never been Prim! It's al-always m-my d-dad or me. I watched the elevator d-drop and I h-heard her screams, but I couldn't do anything t-to s-save her!"

"Shh, Katniss," Peeta whispered reassuringly. "It's okay."

"Why Prim, Peeta?" Katniss shouted into the early morning. "Why did I have to see Prim like that? Why did I have to watch her die?"

"It was just a dream, Katniss," Peeta told her. "Just a dream. Prim's fine. You're fine. And I'm here. I'm here for you. Always."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Katniss!" A high-pitched voice squealed as a small and thin body propelled itself into Katniss's outstretched arms.

Katniss chuckled and buried her face into her younger sister's long blonde hair. "It's good to see you too, Little Duck."

Prim pulled back, her eyebrows crinkled in displeasure. "God, Katniss. We're in an airport. You can't call me that in public!"

Katniss frowned, still at a disbelief at how much older her sister had gotten since she went away for college a few years ago. It made her regret that she had chosen to go to a college so far away from home. But, to be fair, it was also the school that offered her the biggest scholarship. So she gladly accepted the offer, knowing her family needed the financial help. And Peeta's acceptance to the school didn't hurt either. It still saddened her to realize how much of Prim's life she was missing.

"How was your flight?" Katniss asked, attempting to divert the conversation.

"I slept," Prim said dismissively as she turned to the person standing next to Katniss and gave him a warm smile. She then threw her arms around his neck. "Peeta!"

"Primrose," Peeta replied rather formally, though Katniss knew he was just messing with Prim. She could tell by his affectionate tone, which warmed her heart.

"Oh, please," Prim said, rolling her eyes. "Peeta, I've known you so long I can't even remember the time we met. Enough with the whole Primrose thing."

Peeta grinned at Katniss over Prim's shoulder. "You can't win with this girl."

"Teenagers," Katniss agreed, feeling lighter than she had since her father's death.

Prim sighed heavily. "Stop it, you two. Don't start acting all mature because you can almost drink legally."

Peeta let out a hearty laugh from deep in his chest and bent over to grab Prim's bags off the ground. "Hey, I can already legally drink, thank you very much."

The three of them began their trek to Peeta's car, which he parked deep in the labyrinth that was the airport parking lot. Once outside, Prim regained her excited demeanor. "So what are we doing for your birthday?" she asked.

"I don't know," Katniss said. "Nothing special. I don't have anything planned."

Prim stopped dead in the middle of the parking lot, her hands firmly on her hips. "Katniss Everdeen," she started, her voice taking on a condescending tone. "It's your 21st birthday. _Of course_ we are doing something special. It's why I came all the way out here."

"And here I thought you came because you missed me."

"Be serious," Prim snapped, glaring icily at her sister. "I don't care if it's your birthday, we're doing what I want. You know, it's okay to be normal every once in a while and let your hair down and have some fun."

Katniss took a deep breath, allowing her lungs to fill fully. She glanced over at Peeta who was losing the battle to stop a smile from gracing his face, apparently enjoying how her sister was scolding her. "I know, Prim," Katniss said quietly. "It's just…with everything that's happened, I…I don't feel much like celebrating."

Prim's eyes immediately softened and Katniss felt Peeta take an unconscious step towards her. All was still for a minute, not so much as a breath of air was heard, until Prim hurried forward, her footsteps echoing off of the cement floor. Her arms gripped Katniss tightly a moment later and she whispered into her ear. "I know it hurts. It still hurts me. But I don't want you to be sad forever. I don't want to be sad forever. Dad wouldn't have wanted it. His death was a freak accident and it sucks and it's unfair, but if we behave like we're in mourning, we won't stop grieving. You need to keep living, Katniss, because there are still people that care about you and are here for you. I'm here."

"I'm here, too," Peeta's voice came softly from behind Katniss, his arms wrapping around the two girls he considered family. Peeta knew their pain. He wasn't ever personally close to their father because Mrs. Everdeen had never approved of his friendship with their daughter, but he was fond of the man. He had always smiled jovially at Peeta whenever he caught him sneaking out of the Everdeen's home and whispered an apology about how he was forced to do so. Peeta knew that Mr. Everdeen was grateful that he had never abandoned Katniss like her mother desired. Peeta's real pain came from knowing Katniss's loss. She was always closer to her father than her mother and Peeta felt partially responsible for her mother's distance. He knew he was a sore topic in the Everdeen household, though he never understood why. For Katniss to lose her true ally was a great sorrow. The second Peeta heard of her father's death, he had sworn to himself that he would always take care of Katniss no matter what it took.

Prim was the first to break the embrace. She pulled back and swiped at damp eyes, ruby red veins scratching the surface like eagle talons. "Well, that was way too depressing for your last day of junior year." Prim's expression lost the remainder of its sadness. "Which is exactly why we're going out for your birthday. We definitely have to go to a bar. And I have a fake ID now so you don't even need to worry about me."

Katniss let out a gurgled laugh and followed her sister to Peeta's car with Peeta's arm still wrapped around her shoulders. It wasn't until Peeta had already pulled out onto the highway that Katniss realized what Prim had said. "Why and since when do you have a fake ID?"

* * *

Katniss awoke the next morning to a heavy weight jumping on her bed and small pieces of paper falling steadily onto her face. Unwillingly, Katniss opened her eyes a crack to see Prim smiling over her, brandishing balloons, and Peeta standing in the corner continually whipping confetti out of a large plastic bag.

"Happy Birthday!" Prim sang much too loudly.

Katniss responded by squeezing her eyes tighter and throwing the covers over her face. "It's my birthday," she grumbled. "Let me sleep."

Prim tugged at the blanket playfully until Katniss's eyes reappeared. "I don't think so," Prim stated. "I got Peeta to make you breakfast. So get up!" Prim bounced once more on the mattress and scurried from the room.

Katniss turned her head to glance at Peeta once more. He took the opportunity to throw more confetti in her face.

"Stop doing that!" Katniss ordered. "You're not at a fucking parade."

Peeta grinned and grabbed a bigger handful, throwing the pieces as high as he could manage. "I'm not so sure about that. With everything Prim's got planned, you'll definitely be paraded around all day."

"Clever," Katniss snarled, not in any mood to be teased. "You're cleaning all this shit up, by the way." She motioned the various colored papers dusting her floor.

Peeta snorted. "I don't think so."

"It's my birthday. You have to."

"You hate your birthday," Peeta accused. "Besides, your room could do with some mess." This was just one of the many ways in which Katniss and Peeta differed. Katniss's room was always spotless. Organization gave her some control over her life, which she desperately needed. Peeta was more of a free spirit. He was in no way a slob, but disorder didn't bother him as much. "Now get your ass out of bed before I get in trouble with Prim for holding you up."

Katniss sighed in a defeated manner. She got out of bed, stretching satisfyingly as she did so. The moment she was on her feet, Katniss found herself enveloped by Peeta's warmth, his large arms securing her body tightly to his. Katniss burrowed into his hug, his hold the warm and safe place it had been for the past couple of months.

"Happy Birthday, Katniss," Peeta murmured into her hair, squeezing her even tighter. He placed a quick kiss on her forehead before disappearing in the same manner as Prim did.

Despite the early hour, Katniss found herself smiling as she made her way to the kitchen. Her nose told her that Prim had not been lying; Peeta had made breakfast. He was the only one of her friends (including herself) who knew how to cook more than Easy Mac and cereal. The table in front of her was lavished with thick waffles and mouthwatering chocolate chip pancakes. The sight woke up her stomach and she was grateful that Peeta had already begun to pile more food onto her plate than she ever could dream of being able to finish.

As Katniss dug in, Prim went into full party planner mode, discussing the details of the rest of the day. "During the day, I get you all to myself," Prim began in a businesslike tone. "Peeta wanted to come with, but I told him that we needed some sister bonding moments. Especially since you made yourself perfectly clear about your thoughts of me joining you tonight."

Katniss knew exactly what Prim was talking about. "Excuse me for not wanting to corrupt my little sister."

Prim gave Katniss a hard look. "You're not _corrupting_ me, Katniss."

"No. Clearly you've already been corrupted," Katniss said sadly, thinking of her newfound knowledge of Prim's fake. "But I don't want to spend the night of my 21st bailing you out of jail."

"Relax," Prim said, putting her hands up in front of her. "I've already agreed that I wouldn't be going to the bar with you."

"Hey, Prim," Peeta said softly. "Remember Gale's brother, Rory? He's your age. I can ask Gale to see if he's available to hang out tonight."

Katniss's immediate reaction to Peeta's statement was poor. Somehow, it just occurred to her that Prim might be beyond the "kissing" stage when it came to boys and the idea did not sit well upon her shoulders. But then Katniss looked at Prim's reddened face that she slightly hid from view as she mumbled a small affirmation and Katniss smiled. At least there was some innocence left in Prim.

"Anyway," Prim began again, determined to get back on track. "I'm going to take you out for lunch to this Italian restaurant that Peeta says you like. Sound good?"

Katniss just nodded, stuffing another large chunk of waffle greedily into her jaws.

"Great!" Prim exclaimed, glad that Katniss was no longer fighting her well-intentioned efforts. "I thought we could go to lunch, maybe get some ice cream, and just talk. You know, catch up on each other's lives. Afterwards, your friends will join us for dinner – "

"Friends?" Katniss interrupted. It was one thing for Prim and Peeta to make a big deal of her birthday; it was another thing entirely for them to get other people involved.

"Just Madge and Gale," Peeta said, grimacing slightly at the potential problems that pairing could make. "And me." He tacked onto the end as if it wasn't obvious already.

Katniss approved the small list, so Prim continued. "We were thinking of ordering in Chinese."

Katniss huffed. "You guys are trying to make me fat."

"Just a little," Peeta smiled.

"And tonight, you four will go to a bar and maybe a club. It's Peeta's responsibility to not allow you to come home until you're good and drunk and have possibly hooked up with a couple of guys," Prim finished with a flourish.

Peeta's mouth twitched so slightly at Prim's last sentence that Katniss didn't even notice. "I'll do my best."

"Awesome!" Prim clapped her hands together hard and the sound reverberated around the small space. "And now we can officially begin Katniss's coerced twenty-first!" Prim paused and looked at both Katniss and Peeta's raised eyebrows. "Okay, so the name needs a little work…"

* * *

Currently, Katniss sat across from Prim at a small covered table that sat outside the Italian restaurant placed on the corner of a reasonably crowded street. Katniss was enjoying the feel of the sun on her face, her olive skin in need of a boost of Vitamin D. Prim was working hard to finish off an overpriced bowl of spaghetti, her thin mouth slurping the noodles in the same manner she did as a child, her tongue darting out to lick her lips every couple of mouthfuls.

The two sisters had just finished a discussion about their shared favorite TV shows when Prim gave Katniss an inquisitive stare. "So what's up with you and Peeta lately?"

"What do you mean?"

"You guys have been very touchy-feely lately." Prim squinted her eyes trying to judge Katniss's reaction. "You never used to be that way."

Katniss thought for a moment, supposing that Peeta and her had been in more "close contact" than they had ever been. But Peeta was just comforting her, helping her through her father's death. There was nothing about their actions that would give Prim a reason to talk about them so suggestively. "He's just been hovering," Katniss excused. "He's concerned about how I've been reacting to, well, you know…"

"Uh-huh."

"I'm serious."

"I sure saw him react poorly when I suggested you hook up with somebody else tonight. Unless, of course, that was just me."

"That was just you," Katniss replied, seriously.

"Yeah, right," Prim grunted, obviously not believing her.

"And even if you did see something," Katniss argued, "it would just be because he's overprotective of me because he cares about me. He would react the same way if you were planning on hooking up with someone."

Prim actually laughed. "And that's why he seemed so upset setting me up with Rory."

Katniss scowled, not having an answer to that.

"I don't know why you don't just sleep with him," Prim stated as if it was the most blatant thing in the world to do.

Katniss mouth dropped open in response, dumbfounded that Prim had gotten old enough to start discussing sex with her. Katniss was not completely comfortable with the topic anyway. Conversing with her sister about it made it a thousand times worse. She could already feel her cheeks getting darker.

"What?" Prim asked, oblivious to her sister's discomfort. "Peeta's hot."

"God, Prim – that's just – ew, I – " Katniss spluttered. She took a breath and tried again. "If you think so, why don't you just sleep with him?" Nope. That was definitely worse. Katniss regretted the statement the second it passed through her lips. Everything about it sounded and felt so wrong.

"Ew, Katniss. I've known Peeta for as long as I can remember. He is like my brother."

"Well, same here!" Katniss said emphatically.

"Katniss, please. Peeta is your best friend, but he has never and will never be like a brother to you." Prim stared straight at Katniss, willing her to see reason.

Katniss just shook her head. "We are just _friends_, Prim."

"Guys and girls can't be just _friends_, Katniss," Prim retorted.

"What are you talking about? You're friends with that boy who lives next door. What's his name? Skylar?"

Prim looked down, futzing with the napkin on her lap, an obvious blush painting her cheekbones.

Katniss gasped, disbelievingly. She had to fight the urge to reach up and cover her ears. She did not want to hear about her little sister losing her virginity before she did. Somehow, Katniss knew she wouldn't be able to handle it. "Prim! You didn't!"

Prim looked up, eyes wider than the plate in front of her, her cheek rolled in under the plain of her teeth. Knowing what Katniss was implying shocked Prim into responding. "No! Katniss, nothing like that! I'm only seventeen! I mean…I haven't done…_that _yet. I'm still a virgin. Sky and I, we just kissed!"

Katniss let out a long, relieved breath.

Prim recovered long before Katniss did. "My point is, guys and girls can't be just friends. It obviously always _escalates._"

Katniss sighed, already tired of this conversation and at a loss at how it spiraled this far. She felt a headache coming on, its heavy pounding digging its way to the surface. "Peeta and I are just friends, Prim," Katniss repeated. "It's all we've ever wanted."  
Prim knew how stubborn her sister could be and knew a lost cause when she saw one. She decided it was best for her to concede. "Fine, Katniss. I'll drop it. Though let me just say, friendship may be all that you want, but it's definitely not all that he wants."

Those last couple words hit Katniss hard, repeatedly slapping her in the face as if they were a truck that had just ran her over only to back up and run over her again. The words scared Katniss to death and she silently prayed that they weren't true because she knew if they were, they would change everything. Katniss attempted to refocus her thoughts on Prim, who was mindlessly chattering as they walked the four blocks to the movie theater, but it was a failed effort. Prim's speech fell on deaf ears, her syllables naturally fading to the background as easily as the droning hum of a refrigerator.

Katniss, who normally was so observant of her surroundings, failed to notice the honks of the taxicabs or the flash of the city's billboards. She didn't notice the overflowing trashcan or the line forming at the nearby street vendor. She didn't notice when they stopped at a corner waiting for the streetlight to change, a small crowd gathering with them. She definitely didn't notice the tall man standing on the opposite side of the crosswalk, a long, dark coat wrapped securely around him, a rimmed hat obscuring his face.

The stoplight changed, the white-lit stick figure indicating a safe passage. Feet left the sidewalk. The two groups met in the middle of the street, the strangers ignoring the faces around them. A man inconspicuously forced pedestrians out of his trajectory.

Katniss didn't notice the gun, but she noticed the gunshot. She heard the screams. She felt the ground shake under her feet as one man's decision turned the normally civilized people into a chaotic stampede, all searching for an escape. Anarchy. Katniss noticed Prim dropping from her place beside her, falling to the concrete in an arching bow. She noticed the pool of blood. Prim was bathing in the dark red liquid, drowning in it. It was in this moment that Katniss realized that Prim's silence was scarier than her screams.

Katniss knelt beside her, crouching low, trying to protect her sister from the unseeing feet stomping around her. Her hands dipped into the fountain of blood, instantly soaked, and she pressed them back into Prim's limp body, willing the blood to seep back through her skin. Katniss screamed and she yelled and she begged. "Help! Please! Somebody help!" She fumbled within her pockets, trying to control her tremors. After a painstakingly long search, her fingers found gold.

Faintly registering sirens in the background, Katniss punched numbers into her phone. He picked up after two rings. "Katniss? How's lunch – "

"Peeta," Katniss whimpered. She heard him suck in a breath. She knew he could hear the screams.

"Katniss, what's the matter? Where are you? What's going on?"

"Peeta," Katniss barely managed. She was choking on words as Prim was choking on blood. "It's Prim. She's been shot. I need you."

And then she blacked out.

**Author's Notes: I hope I'm not confusing people yet. You'll find out Prim's fate and more information about why she was shot in the next chapter. Please let me know what you think so far.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

White. That's all Katniss could see when she finally opened her eyes. It took a moment for her brain to catch up. She was in a hospital room, its bare walls mocking her with their lack of information. Monitors were aligned by her head, though they were not currently in use. Why was she here? Another second and the memories came crashing back. The images were powerful and caved into her vision. The crowd, the concrete, the blood. Prim. It was suffocating. The lure of unconscious was fraying at her edges. She was drifting towards it again, almost welcoming its blackened hold.

Movement caught in her peripheral vision halted the lull. Katniss rolled her head to the side to see a man enter her room. He wore a long, white jacket, underneath which were blue scrubs and he was staring intently at a clipboard in his hand. As he flipped a page, his eyes took a hold of Katniss's state. "Katniss," he smiled, though Katniss was not in the mood for pleasantries. "You're awake. Excellent."

Katniss immediately knew this man would be of no help if he was only going to state the obvious. She made to sit up, but the man was quickly at her side, pushing her down by the shoulder. Her dizziness was the only thing that made Katniss comply. She grabbed at her head, which gave a violent lurch.

"You need to rest," the man stated firmly. "You have a mild concussion. You may feel slightly dizzy and nauseous for the time being. And don't worry if you get a headache or have trouble focusing. These symptoms should pass within a few days. For now, I just need you to lay here and relax."

Katniss wanted to protest. She didn't care about what was wrong with her! She needed to find out about Prim! Where was she? _How _was she? Katniss didn't even want to consider the possibility that she may be dead. How could she let this happen? Katniss made to get off the bed again, determined to get to Prim, but the doctor didn't allow it, gently pushing her down for the second time.

"You're other injuries are superficial," the man continued as if Katniss didn't just try to flee the room. "Minor abrasions and contusions. No broken bones. We are just keeping you here for observation. In a few hours, barring any complications, you'll be fully discharged into the care of the FBI."

Katniss blanched at the doctor's statement, but chose to ignore it. Though Katniss would never have believed it, she now had more pressing issues than worrying about the FBI. "I don't care about any of that," Katniss said loudly, startling the man at her bedside. "Where's my sister?"

The man's face remained the epitome of professionalism, which gave Katniss absolutely nothing to work off of. "Your sister is being given the best possible care."

Katniss scowled, realizing that sentence told her absolutely nothing. Dread quickly crept into her body, coating the inner walls of her skin. "Is Prim okay? Can I see her? You need to tell me what's going on!"

The doctor took a deep breath, turning his eyes toward Katniss in a foreboding manner. Just as he was opening his mouth to speak, a loud beeping sound filled the room. The man looked down to the waistband of his pants where a beeper was clipped. "I'm sorry," he apologized, already halfway to the door. "I have to deal with this. If you need anything or feel as though anything is wrong, press the button to your left and tell the attending nurse to page Dr. Aurelius."

Dr. Aurelius (Katniss assumed that was the doctor's name) disappeared through the door before she had a chance to respond. However, as the door swung close, Katniss could make out the figure of an extremely burly police officer in possession of an intimidating firearm standing stoically outside her room.

Confusion that Katniss did not attribute to her concussion muddled her mind. She felt insignificant and useless. It was the worst feeling in the world. Somewhere, possibly in this hospital, her sister was fighting for her life (if she even still had one) and Katniss could do absolutely nothing to help her. Each time she thought about it, there was a sharp pain in her chest. One question was running on a loop through her mind. Why Prim? Why couldn't it have been her? Katniss wished she could have exchanged their places and accepted Prim's fate. She would've gladly volunteered herself for it, if it would've only saved Prim. Instead, she was stuck lying inept on a hospital bed, guarded by an armed man as if they thought the shooter was coming back to finish the job. Nothing that happened today made sense.

Katniss was interrupted from her contemplation when she heard a scuffle coming from the hallway directly outside of her room. She lifted her head inquisitively, straining her ears in order to hear more clearly.

"FBI? Do I look like I give a fuck if you're from the FBI? I am going into that room whether you like it or not. No one is keeping me away from my fiancé. Now back the fuck up because the only way you're going to stop me is if you shoot me."

Now Katniss knew her concussion was affecting her because she was almost positive that voice belonged to Peeta, but she knew for a fact that he had no fiancé. Maybe she'd be able to think clearer if her head stopped pounding.

Nonetheless, the door to her hospital room slammed open and there stood Peeta in the doorway looking slightly manic. He crossed the room in two giant bounds and had Katniss in his arms before her next breath. "Katniss, I'm so, so sorry," he muttered into her neck.

With Peeta's protective arms around her, Katniss burst into tears.

It was a while before Peeta calmed Katniss down enough to talk. The guard had walked into the scene and, with an uncomfortable look on his face, granted Peeta permission to stay with Katniss. As soon as her breathing slowed, Peeta pulled a chair right up next to her, as close as it was possible to be.

"How's Prim?" was Katniss's first question.

Peeta looked down at the floor, rolling his knuckles in his fingers. "I don't know much, Katniss. It was a bitch to even get any information about you. I had to tell them you were my fiancé. I hope you don't mind."

Katniss shook her head. Peeta's lie was the least of her worries. "Just tell me, Peeta."

Peeta sighed. "They told me she's in surgery right now, but that's all they would tell me."

Katniss's face fell, her heart thudding loudly in her chest. "It was my fault," she whispered.

"What?" Peeta asked, leaning forward to hear better.

"It's my fault. Prim getting shot. It was my fault! I – I wasn't paying attention. Prim said something to me at lunch and I was just off in my old world."

"Katniss – "

"I should've stopped him. I should've pushed her out of the way. I should've saved her!"

"Katniss – "

"If I knew what was going on, I could've done something! Prim wouldn't have been shot! I just – I know I could've stopped it if only – "

"Katniss!" Peeta finally got her attention. He took one of her hands in both of his, squeezing it tight. "This is _not _your fault. Don't think that for even a second. There was _nothing_ you could do. This was just some psycho with a gun who decided to turn the street you were on into a scene from the latest Batman movie. Okay? Please don't blame yourself."

Katniss looked deep into Peeta's blue eyes, wishing she could believe him. But he wasn't there, and he didn't know. "But what if Prim – what if Prim doesn't…" Katniss couldn't finish her sentence.

"Prim's strong. And she's fighting. She won't give up. You need to believe that, Katniss. The doctor's are doing everything the can to fix her and Prim will pull through."

Katniss nodded. "Thanks, Peeta."

Peeta gave her a small smile, rocking forward in his seat. "Can you, um…tell me what happened?"

"I don't even know," Katniss said, throwing her head back against the pillow, an action she immediately regretted. "It all happened so fast. One minute, Prim and I were crossing the street and the next, she was unconscious on the ground and there was so much blood. I didn't even know where the blood was coming from. I blacked out. I don't even know how I got injured."

"You got trampled," Peeta said bitterly. "When people are running from gun shots, they don't notice two girls lying on the ground not moving." He paused. "Are you okay, though? Does anything hurt?"

"You mean besides my head which feels like it's getting ripped in half over and over again?"

Peeta grimaced.

"I'm a little sore," Katniss conceded.

Peeta nodded. Katniss could tell that he wanted to ask something else. He was chewing on the end of his tongue as though trying to still the words from flowing out. He was slowly losing the battle.

_But I will hold on hope_

_ And I won't let you choke_

_ On the noose around your neck_

It was Peeta's ringtone. Katniss had never liked it. She thought the imagery was too morbid. Peeta argued that that wasn't the point of the song. Katniss had never told him that it reminded her of a song that her dad had sung to her when she was little. She knew he would change the ringtone if she did, but she couldn't force herself to fess up. She watched as Peeta swore and dug around in his pockets.

_And I'll find strength in pain_

_ And I will change my ways_

_ I'll know my name as it's called – _

"Hello?" Peeta glanced quickly at Katniss before frowning and standing up to pace the room. "No, Gale, I don't really think that's a good idea."

Katniss raised her eyebrows at Peeta, but he simply shook his head, his blond hair flopping on his forehead.

"I can't get you in here… Well, how the fuck am I supposed to know?... I realize that, but – … I can't really deal with that now… Really, Gale? Stop being petty. Katniss is in the _hospital_. Just suck it up and talk to Madge… Look, I'll call you when we figure out what's going on… You can take my car. And text me when she gets here, okay?... Yeah, she's here. Hold on."

Peeta plopped back down in the seat by Katniss's bed, stretching his hand out in front of him. He nodded at the phone clutched in his grip. "Gale wants to talk to you."

Katniss hesitated, not sure if she really wanted to talk to him. She had become friends with Gale freshman year when he was assigned as Peeta's roommate. At first, they had difficulties getting along because they butted heads more than they had civilized conversations, but their mutual need to be Peeta's friend helped them overcome their distrust. Over the years, Katniss actually became rather close with Gale. Just now though, Katniss didn't know if speaking to Gale was in her best interest. She needed reassurance and comfort, not haste and bitterness. Gale was a man of action, must like herself, but it would do her no good to fuel the fire already raging in her stomach. Nevertheless, she took the phone from Peeta's outstretched hand and pressed it firmly against her ear.

"Gale."

"Catnip? Thank god. You have no idea how good it is to hear your voice," Gale's steady tones came through the speaker.

"I'm fine, Gale."

"No, you're not. And how could you be? You just watched your sister get fucking shot on your birthday, no less."

"I don't really want to talk about it," Katniss murmured in a warning tone.

"Yeah, I figured as much," Gale replied. Katniss heard his exasperated tone and she was glad that she couldn't currently see his face. She knew he was furious over what happened and probably not thinking very rationally right about now. "I'm just relieved you have the ability to talk at all. I mean, you looked practically dead on the news."

"They have video of it?" Katniss asked incredulously.

"Not of the shooting. Mostly just the chaos afterward. And some of you being put in an ambulance. That's how we found out what hospital you were in. It was just some crappy cellphone video, though. Still scared the crap out of me. But Peeta was worse. I forced him to let me drive him to the hospital."

Katniss was stunned. "Thanks, Gale. Where are you now?"

"I'm still here," Gale said. "I can't come up and see you, though. There's a fucking blockade to your room. Peeta was smart enough to tell them he was your fiancé and charmed his way in there, but I'm stuck. It's okay, though. I have to leave soon and pick up your mom from the airport."

"My mom?" Katniss questioned. "She's coming here? How did she find out so fast?"

"Peeta called her."

"He did?" Katniss glanced over at Peeta, who was staring at her while she talked to Gale. He obviously knew what they were talking about because he gave a small shrug of his shoulders. Katniss couldn't believe it. She knew how much her mother hated Peeta and how uncomfortable she made him, which made Katniss even more grateful for Peeta's thoughtfulness. She hadn't even thought of calling her mother through all of this. Katniss supposed she shouldn't be surprised after all these years of knowing him, but Peeta's consideration and selflessness floored her.

"Yeah," Gale said, pulling her back into the conversation. "And I'm picking her up and bringing her straight to the hospital. Maybe they'll let me come in with her."

"Yeah, maybe."

"I'll talk with you later. Bye, Catnip."

The line went quiet and Katniss knew Gale hung up. She silently handed Peeta back his phone and he stowed it in his pocket. Katniss wanted to say something that would allow Peeta to know her appreciation, but she was never good at expressing her feelings. Peeta's even gaze allowed her to speak. "Thanks for calling my mom."

"It was nothing."

"No, Peeta. It was. You didn't have to do that."

"Yes, I did," Peeta argued. "She needed to know as soon as possible. You're her daughter and so is Prim. It doesn't matter what she thinks of me, she needed to know."

Katniss nodded and squeezed his large hand, hoping the action conveyed how thankful she truly was. Then she frowned. "Did you really take on an FBI agent with a gun to get in here?"

Peeta had to stifle a laugh. "You mean the guy outside? No, he's NYPD and as dumb as they come. It actually worries me that they allow him to carry a gun. Remind me later to kick somebody's ass over the FBI's so-called 'protection' detail when we finally get to talk to someone who knows what's going on. It sucks."

"What _is_ going on, Peeta? Why is there a protection detail in the first place? Who are they protecting?" Katniss's eyebrows drew together in confusion, trying to sort through the haze in her brain to make sense of the situation.

"You, Kat," Peeta said sympathetically. "They are here to protect you." Peeta watched as the fog cleared from Katniss's eyes only to be replaced with heightened distress.

"I don't – I don't understand," Katniss cried, trepidation dripping from every syllable. "Why would the FBI want to protect me?"

Peeta's eyes hardened, his normally happy face freezing in a scowl. "That is the million dollar question."

**Author's Notes: Thanks to all those who reviewed! It was greatly appreciated. Next chapter is the first appearance of Haymitch, so get excited!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The afternoon passed with a perpetual sluggishness. Katniss and Peeta mostly sat in a tension filled silence when Peeta finally realized there was nothing he could say to take Katniss's mind off of Prim. Katniss jumped at each sound outside of her door, constantly expecting someone to come inside with a dire expression to tell her that Prim had passed away. Fortunately, no such thing occurred. Dr. Aurelius did return a couple times throughout the hours to check on Katniss's physical state, each time asking her what would be simple questions and testing her hand-eye coordination. He never told her the results. He just nodded and said to expect him in an hour before exiting again. Katniss was getting sick of the repetition.

Finally, Dr. Aurelius told her she was well enough to be discharged. Peeta seemed more relieved than Katniss. Katniss, exhilarated to escape the deadened hospital room (she could practically feel the suffering of past patients), leapt from the bed and was at the door before she realized she only wore a hospital gown. Her face heated up and she turned around to see Peeta smirking at her. Dr. Aurelius left and Peeta turned as Katniss quickly slipped into fresh clothing (Peeta had brought her some seeing as her previous outfit was covered with blood).

"Ready to get out of here?" Peeta asked when she finished, placing a warm hand on the small of her back.

"I just need to find out what's going on with Prim," Katniss said quietly.

Peeta nodded and the two of them approached the door. Katniss placed her hand on the door handle, relishing the feeling of the cool metal under her palm. She could taste the answers on the other side of the door and as bad as she wanted them, she was also terrified of what she might find. Gathering all her courage, Katniss pulled the door open only to find her path blocked.

A grubby man was perched in the doorway, his eyes slightly watery and his hair rather greasy. His suit hung loose on his body and looked a little worse for wear. The scrub on his face was past the acceptable five o'clock shadow and distracted Katniss from his disgruntled features. "Where do you think you're going, sweetheart?"

The affectionate term seemed ironic falling from this man's lips and Katniss recoiled from the words. Maybe that was the man's intentions because as soon as she stepped back, he entered the room and shut the door forcefully behind him. Katniss felt as if all chances of returning to normalcy disappeared as the door clicked closed.

Peeta had somehow maneuvered himself to stand between Katniss and the encroaching man, his stance protective. "Who are you?" Peeta demanded.

The man appraised Peeta, his eyes quickly sweeping his form, finally resting on Peeta's hand that was clutching Katniss's wrist. Rolling his eyes, he gruffly rifled through the inner pockets of his jacket and pulled out a leather square. "Agent Haymitch Abernathy, FBI," the man grunted, flipping open the identification so they could confirm. "And judging by the way you puffed up like a blowfish the second I walked in here, you must be the fiancé."

Peeta and Katniss both faltered at the assumption, having long forgotten about Peeta's hasty lie that got him into the room in the first place. Haymitch, however, mistook their hesitation as mistrust and gave them an aggravated look.

"You can deflate now," he told Peeta.

Peeta blinked, confused as to what he was talking about and still inwardly trying to stave off a panic attack about lying to the FBI. He debated confessing, but he knew if he did, he'd be kicked out of the room in a matter of seconds. And as unprofessional as Agent Abernathy appeared, Peeta knew that he possessed the answers to the infinite amount of questions streaming through his head. He wasn't going anywhere. Conceding, Peeta dropped down onto the bed.

Katniss, on the other hand, seemingly recovered from the blindsiding and gathered herself to her full height, which, admittedly, wasn't very intimidating. It was her scowl that gave off the menacing vibe and she wore it as she approached the FBI agent. "Where is my sister?" she demanded. "How is she doing?"

Agent Abernathy didn't waver. He had obviously faced tougher and more dangerous opponents than Katniss Everdeen. "Now, sweetheart, you're rushing things, aren't you? Wouldn't you enjoy hearing all of those enticing details about why you're here first?"

"No," Katniss snarled. "You've had me locked up in a room for _hours _expecting me to sit calmly and wait patiently while my sister could be dead for all I know. So tell . Is. She?"

Agent Abernathy paused, clearly impressed with her tenacity. He stared at her inquisitively, one eyebrow raised as he considered her. With a small shrug of his shoulders, he replied, "Alive, apparently."

Katniss choked out air, feeling a strange mixture of relief and trepidation. She wanted to inquire further, but the words seemed to fail her.

Peeta, correctly interpreting her struggles, asked for her. "Is she going to make it?"

"Do I look like a doctor to you?" Agent Abernathy snapped, ostensibly getting impatient with the conversation. "Now you two better sit down, shut up, and listen because I only feel like telling you this once and the faster it gets done the sooner I can bring you upstairs to see Blondie."

Katniss looked like she really wanted to punch the man in front of her, but, deciding assaulting an FBI agent wouldn't be fruitful, she sat forcibly next to Peeta. Turning their eyes, they both looked expectantly up at him. Agent Abernathy stared right back. All was silent. The seconds ticked away importantly as if they were the countdown to a space shuttle launch, but when the clock reached zero, still nothing happened.

Finally, Agent Abernathy spoke. "What? No questions? No why is this happening? Who was the shooter? Why am I here?"

"You told us to shut up," Katniss growled, stubbornly.

Abernathy burst out laughing, his mirth as rough as his personality. "Oh, she's a keeper," he said to Peeta sarcastically. "I can see why you want to marry her. Real personable, this one."

Peeta had to grab Katniss's waist to keep her from launching herself across the room, though he did think this man to be incredibly rude. "Why don't you just start from the beginning, Agent," Peeta offered, trying to keep the peace.

"Haymitch," the FBI Agent corrected. "I'm not respectable enough to be called Agent."

Katniss snorted in potent agreement.

Agent Abernathy, or _Haymitch_, ignored her. He shrugged out of his jacket and slumped down into the chair that sat against the wall, making himself comfortable, digging in deep in preparation for what Katniss and Peeta expected to be a long story. Haymitch ran his fingers down his cheek to the point of his chin once before his gravely voice started. "It turns out your father's accidental death wasn't so much of an accident."

Peeta fingers clenched down hard around Katniss's hand, whether it was in comfort or to ensure she didn't attack again was unclear. But Peeta didn't need to worry. Katniss was having difficulties processing what she had just been told. How was that possible? What did that mean? That he was _murdered?_ Katniss shook her head, trying to clear the debilitating smog that suffocated her brain to a halt.

"I don't understand," she managed.

"The elevator that your dad died in was old and unsafe. It hadn't been inspected in years. It was natural to assume it just…gave out on him. We never believed so, though. Further inquiry into the situation has led us to a different conclusion. There's evidence the elevator was tampered with."

Katniss shook her head, unwilling to believe that. "No. No. It couldn't have been. That elevator – it just gave out. You said it did. No – my dad – he didn't – he wasn't – no!"

"Katniss, shh," Peeta said, digging his palms deep into the muscles at her shoulders, trying to sooth away her panic. "Take deep breaths, Kat. Just breathe."

Katniss listened to Peeta and sucked in a shaky gulp of air, releasing it with the same uneasiness, focusing on the one word she must say. "Why?"

Haymitch sunk further into the cushion, hands repeatedly running down the slick arms of the chair. He supposed he should be an expert at breaking hearts at this point in his career, but each time dug a little deeper into his soul. Soon he'd be void of it. He needed a drink. "A little more than three years ago, your father," he nodded at Katniss, "got a job at a privately owned car dealership, remember?"

Katniss did remember. It was the reason why she was here, at college. She had never planned on attending, knowing how difficult that decision would be on her family. She had hoped to get a job and spare enough money to send Prim when her time came. However, when her father was hand selected out of all the factory workers to try his luck at the dealership, it had been a blessing. The new occupation, while still not very high paying, was miles above his minimum wage station he was holding down before. Suddenly, her father was insisting she go away to school.

Once getting his confirmation, Haymitch continued. "He worked there for a year, quite successfully, I might add. His quick adaptation resulted in a lot of commendation from the managers. Word spread, and your father's dedication got the attention of the man who owned the dealership. Now, this man was apparently independently wealthy and owned many other businesses in many different fields and areas of merchandise. Impressed by your father, this man decided to promote him to the offices that oversaw his entire financial portfolio."

Katniss remembered this too. Her mother was so proud. It seemed as though something was finally going in the Everdeens' favor. Delighted with his promotion and his new income, Katniss's father immediately went out and bought her a new laptop and offered to pay for an apartment near campus. Katniss was hesitant to accept the offerings, not used to suddenly being able to afford things, but the pride in her father's voice when he told her was enough to change her mind. All of a sudden, the memories tasted bitter.

"It didn't take long for things to start going downhill. Not even a year later, your dad started noticing…discrepancies within the businesses. He was no fool, after all. He decided to bring them to the attention of his boss. The man simply laughed at him and discredited his accusations."

"How do you know all this?" Katniss whispered, no longer looking at Haymitch, but staring off into the corner.

"I'm getting there, sweetheart," Haymitch said, his voice much softer than it had been originally. "Anyway, your father was persistent. Every time he noticed a problem, he took it directly to the boss. Every time he was waved off. Until, finally, the boss got annoyed and basically told him to back off if he knew what was good for him. But, your father was no coward and he doesn't stand down to bullies."

Katniss's breath hitched, her mind flashing back to a conversation she had with her dad when she was five years old. She had told him about this large boy in her kindergarten class that was picking on a smaller boy during recess. He had even made him cry. Katniss was worried that she'd be the next victim. Her father had sat her down sternly and told her that bullies could not affect her. That they were just insecure and if she stood up for herself, they'd leave her alone. He also said that perhaps the little boy at school could use some help with standing up for himself. So the next day at school, she did just that. She helped that little boy stand up for himself to make her daddy proud. And she's been friends with Peeta ever since.

"Like I said, your father was smart. And that man underestimated him. He researched the businesses' histories. He discovered odd things."

"Like what?" Peeta chipped in.

"Like how every once in a while an employee goes missing and turns up dead in the river."

Katniss and Peeta mirrored each other's gasps.

"It didn't take long for him to figure out he was in a ton of deep shit," Haymitch said harshly. "He contacted the police immediately. Eventually, the case ended up on my desk with a big ass 'Top Priority' stamped across it. So I called your dad in, gathered all the information. It didn't take long to figure out that this guy was part of the mob, second in command in the family I've been after for years. But I didn't want the second in command. I wanted the top gun. For that, I needed more information. I needed to know where he was staked out. Your father offered his help. He wanted to keep his position and gather intel. I reluctantly accepted his proposition."

Katniss understood where this was going. She could see the rest of the story playing out perfectly in her head. Her father had stayed in the office, learning all he could, because that was the right thing to do. She was proud that he had made that decision, even though she secretly wished he didn't. Because her father got caught and then they killed him. Haymitch basically told her as much.

"They made his death look like an accident because they didn't want to give the police a reason to raid the offices. The underboss sent out the hit as soon as he realized your dad was talking to the authorities. But, what he didn't know was that your father had managed to secure the location of the family's house where head honcho was hiding out. The same day your father was killed, we stormed in. Turned the house into a battleground. Someone managed to shoot the boss, but he got away," Haymitch ended on a quiet note. "Fast forward two months, and here we are."

Peeta turned to Katniss to see how she was dealing with the onslaught of information, preparing himself to wipe away the inevitable tears. But when he looked at her face, it was dry. Her gray eyes as sharp as stone. It had finally happened. After months of weeping, she had run out of tears for her father. Her emotional well scavenged for the last drop and now ran bone dry. Peeta didn't know whether to be happy or sad about that actualization.

Quicker than expected, Katniss shot out of her seat and marched across the room to lean over Haymitch. "You knew about this, all of this, the entire time?" she hissed.

Haymitch was silent.

"You knew and you didn't tell our family?"

"It was classified information. Need to know basis only."

"NEED TO KNOW!" Now Katniss was shouting. "So, what? _Now_ I need to know? What about six hours ago when Prim was SHOT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET?"

Haymitch actually flinched. Katniss apparently found his weakness. "You weren't in any danger until now," Haymitch told her.

"Really?" Katniss stated, derision flowing off her word like a waterfall. "I would like to see you tell that to my sister. We just had an entire mob family gunning down our backs for the past two months."

At this, Haymitch stood, challenging Katniss's position. She took a small step back in surprise. "No, sweetheart," Haymitch said, shaking his head. "You didn't. Things have changed in the past few days."

"Like what?" Katniss spat.  
"The boss died."

The made Katniss swallow her voice.

"From the gunshot wound," Haymitch continued. "He lasted a couple months, but he was old. And they couldn't really bring him to the hospital. So he died."

Katniss just stared at him. Peeta, who had been rather quiet up until that point, moved to stand next to her. He was overwhelmed, so he had no idea what she could possibly be feeling. And though he felt stupid for saying it, he asked, "So what does that mean?"

"It means," Haymitch began slowly, as though he was explaining something to a two-year old, "that the underboss, the man who your dad worked for, who knows him personally, is now in charge. The _old _boss had no vendetta against the Everdeen family. The _new _boss, on the other hand…"

"What's his name?" Katniss asked so quietly that Haymitch had to ask her to repeat the question. "What's his name? The man who wants me dead, who got Prim shot, who _murdered_ my father. What's his name?"

There was a beat of hesitation. "Snow."

_Snow_. Katniss immediately loathed the name. She didn't know if it was the worst or best name for a villain she had ever heard. In her mind, she pictured the man who threatened her life. Pale, almost translucent skin, glowing eyes, a warped, demented face. _Shit._ She was picturing fucking Voldemort. He was that evil to her.

Peeta's voice abruptly cut across her mind. "So what's the plan?" Peeta was glaring at Haymitch with his arms crossed tightly on his chest. Katniss realized she had no idea how long so was off in her own world, dreaming up monsters.

Haymitch was looking at Peeta as if he had grown an extra head. "Plan?" he repeated dumbly.

"Yes. Plan. As in, how are you going to help us? How are you going to protect Katniss? I mean, you're our – our…"

"Handler?" Haymitch offered, smirking, which only caused Katniss's scowl to lengthen. "And it's not 'our' anything, boy. I'm the lead on _her_ case. I'm here to help _her. _The only reason you were lucky enough to hang around this long is because you are her fiancé. If your smart enough to hold off the wedding until after this is over, you won't be involved in any of this."

Peeta grinded his teeth together because there was no argument. He couldn't tell Haymitch that he had no intentions of holding off the wedding because he had no intentions of a wedding at all. But he hated being on the outside looking in and he hated leaving Katniss to deal with this alone. He'd figure out some way to help.

"Tell me," Peeta said slowly. "Tell me how you plan on saving _my fiancée's _life."

"I've got it handled," Haymitch said simply.

"And who are you to say that?" Peeta argued irrationally.

"Me?" Haymitch asserted, suddenly appearing much more intimidating than he had throughout the entire conversation. His back straightened and his chest broadened. A mysterious glint surfaced in his pupil. Peeta could finally understand how this man became an FBI agent. "I'm the best damn chance she's got."

**Author's Notes: I worked hard so I could get this out for the holiday. I hope you enjoyed and hopefully you understand things better now. Tell me your thoughts. All reviews are appreciated...it'll only help me get better. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

It was an entire procession getting Katniss up to Prim's room. Haymitch spent a good ten minutes muttering into an unseen transmitter before even allowing her to approach the door. Three large men in suits much sharper than Haymitch's arrived to escort her. There were murmurs about being "clear" and proceeding to the next "zone." Somehow, these words did little to calm Katniss's qualms, but when she turned to Peeta, he rolled his eyes and stepped closer to her to whisper in her ear, "they'll be calling in Jack Bauer any second now." The old reference made Katniss smile, which was a feat within itself, and she tried to ignore the men surrounding her. All in all, it was a lot of effort to get her to climb a flight of stairs.

Prim's room was located in a more secure part of the hospital where the rooms were protected by numbered keypads that needed a code to unlock. Katniss and Peeta stood idly by as their armed guard closed ranks and the man in front punched haphazardly at the numbered buttons on the heavy door. When Katniss heard the small buzzing sound telling her that the door was disengaged, she tensed, mentally preparing herself for what she was about to see. She tried desperately not to picture walking into a mangled corpse. She grabbed at Peeta's hand for support.

The sight Katniss beheld when she entered the room was much more somber than her gory vision. The room itself was smaller than the one she had been held in, though the setup was much the same. There was the hospital bed up against the center of the wall with its various machines framing it, although these machines were all in use. The soft beeping counted out the heartbeats, a steady pulse that grounded Katniss as she attempted to force her heart to drum along the same rhythm. The rest of the machines, Katniss couldn't comprehend, but she followed the many wires and tubes until her eyes rested on the bed's occupant. Her little sister laid perfectly still, her small hands resting gently at her sides. The covers were drawn, so Katniss couldn't see her injuries. Though, from what she could see, Prim looked perfectly fine (if you ignored her pale complexion and the breathing tube suctioned to her mouth). No cuts, no visible bruises. Despite this, Katniss's heart still had difficulties remembering its pace. Prim just looked so fragile, like the old china dolls their mother used to have as a child. Katniss rushed to Prim's side, carefully grabbing Prim's hand as if a strong grasp might disrupt the delicate balance that kept Prim alive. It was only then that Katniss realized there was another person attached to Prim's opposite side.

Katniss looked up at her mother, who, despite having her hand on Prim, looked extremely distant as though her mind wasn't fully there. Her vacant gaze was rested upon the windows even though the blinds had been drawn closed. Katniss recognized this look. It was the same look that her mother had worn when her father had passed. Suddenly, Katniss was boiling with rage. Her mother was not giving up this time, not on Prim. Prim was alive and there was no way she'd allow her mother to give up hope on Prim getting well again. Prim deserved better than that.

"Mom," Katniss said sternly, recognizing that they hadn't even spoken a word to each other yet. "Mom."

Katniss's mother didn't respond, didn't even flinch or make a single move as though she heard a sound.

"Mother, look at me," Katniss practically shouted, but with no avail. A blank expression was her only reply.

"Mrs. Everdeen," Peeta's voice rang out from the shadows. He hadn't moved from the doorway, reluctant to intrude on a family moment, but he knew how Mrs. Everdeen's neglect hurt Katniss and he wasn't willingly going to allow that to happen again.

However, Peeta's voice seemed to have done the trick. Mrs. Everdeen's eyes slid back into focus as though someone adjusted the aperture. Her head slowly swung towards Peeta, her eyes widening at the sight of him before narrowing to razor thin slits. Katniss now understood where she got her fiery glare.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Mrs. Everdeen spoke, her voice containing that threatening disapproval that only parents seemed to possess. "I don't want you here."

"Mother," Katniss argued, her own disapproval shining through. "You need to stop with this. Peeta's my best friend. You have no right to treat him like this."

"I want him OUT, Katniss," her mom shouted, her body shaking with suppressed fury. "I want him out, NOW."

"Katniss," Peeta said, softly. "I can go. I'll just wait outside and – "

"No, Peeta," Katniss stated firmly. "She's being ridiculous. You're staying."

"OUT!" Mrs. Everdeen roared, charging at Peeta. "This is _your _fault. _Your _fault that my baby is like this. Her blood will be on _your_ hands."

"Mother!" Katniss was trying to rip her mom away from Peeta who had his hands up in surrender. While Katniss struggled to restrain her irrational mother, Peeta nodded toward the exit, silently signaling that he was going to leave them alone. Katniss sent him an apologetic frown while her mother continued to chant "Out! Out!" now with tears streaming down her face.

Once in the hall, Peeta let out of relieved breath. He had never understood why Katniss's mom had such a crusade against him, but it always served to make him feel unwelcomed and uncomfortable. This confrontation, however, had been particularly painful. Blaming Prim's shooting on him was taking her hatred a little bit too far. And as a person who never dealt well with displeasing people, Peeta took it personally, even though he tried not to. Rubbing his knuckles over his eyes, Peeta sighed heavily, wishing for the thousandth time that day that things could be different.

"Trouble with the Mrs.?" came a husky voice. Haymitch leaned against the opposite wall with an amused expression on his face. "Is there a problem in paradise already?"

Peeta groaned. He never thought that being Katniss's fake fiancé would be this much work. "No. It wasn't that. It's just…Katniss's mom doesn't like me."

"Ah," Haymitch said with as much sympathy as a hungry bear that's about to maul you, "the in-laws. They give everybody shit."

"Yeah, well…" Peeta shrugged, unsure of what to say. For a second he wondered what Mrs. Everdeen would say if he really were engaged to Katniss. Whatever it would be, it would most likely be detrimental.

"Are you ready to cut the crap yet?"

"Excuse me?" Peeta said, a slight lilt to his statement.

"Your fiancée in there," Haymitch gave a small lurch toward the now locked door, "she's not so much your fiancée, is she?"

Peeta balked, confused as to where their whole ploy went awry. "I – I don't know what you're talking about," he replied, unsteadily.

Haymitch's eyes narrowed. "Don't patronize me, boy. I've been around this game for a very long time, before you were even born. I know when I'm being lied to." Haymitch took a step back, his face rearranging itself into its previous amused state. "Not to mention, your bride-to-be can't act worth a shit. And here's a tip: if you plan on trying to fool the FBI, I suggest you invest in a ring."

Peeta exhaled, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "Fine, you caught us. We're not engaged. But from where I stand, that doesn't change anything."

Haymitch raised his eyebrows in interest.

"I still want to know what you're planning to do to protect her and I still want to go with her when you send her into hiding." Peeta paused, taking in Haymitch's miniscule smirk. "And judging by your response, that is now out of the realm of possibilities."

"The way I see it, your girl has two options," Haymitch began, numbering the plans out on his fingers. "Number one, we place her with her mother, send them somewhere as a family. Although, she'd have to discontinue school. Number two, she continues school, but she'd have to transfer and be placed alone."

Peeta immediately knew which option Katniss would prefer, seeing as she had never been close with her mother and finishing school was her greatest ambition. It still broke his heart to think that she'd have to go into hiding by herself and start over in a brand new place without anyone's help.

"Why are you telling me this?" Peeta questioned, suddenly suspicious of Haymitch's motives. "I thought that now that I'm just a random 'civilian'" he threw finger quotes around the word, "I wouldn't be privy to such private information. In fact, why didn't you kick me out of Katniss's hospital room right away, if you knew the whole time that we were lying?"

"Maybe I found your whole act to be entertaining."

Peeta scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest.

Haymitch gave him an inquisitive look, faintly tilting his head to one side. "You really have no idea, do you?"

"No idea about what?"

"What your part is in all of this?" Haymitch asked incredulously. "Why Katniss walked into that room on her own accord instead of lying in a bed next to her sister? Why, tonight, there'll only be one Everdeen girl rendered useless because of a coma? Why Prim was the only one who was shot?"

Peeta just shook his head, his eyebrows in a permanent arch.

"What do you know of your father's family?"

"I know that he doesn't speak of them much. I know I have an uncle I've never seen and some cousins I've never met. I know that my dad had a falling out with his parents before my brothers and I were born."

"Do you know what that falling out was about?"

Peeta shook his head again. "No. But why is any of this relevant?"

"You don't find it strange," Haymitch continued, blatantly ignoring Peeta's question, "that the hit man _only_ shot Prim? How hard would it have been to aim that gun once more, to pull that trigger on Katniss? Ten seconds? Not even? How come Katniss wasn't shot?"

"I – I don't know," Peeta stammered, not having thought of this before. Why _wasn't_ Katniss shot? If they were going after the Everdeen family, she couldn't have been an easier target than she was in that moment. The Family would've had to realize that Katniss would be placed under protective custody once it became clear what was going on. Unless the shooter got scared when he realized what he did? But that didn't make any sense either.

"Your family," Haymitch went on. "The Mellarks. They have direct connections with the Mob."

"What?" Peeta exclaimed. "You're making that up. My family isn't part of the Mob. I would know."

"Your father got out, from what I understand," Haymitch explained, while he pulled at his tie to loosen it around his neck. "You wonder what the falling out was? It was your dad rejecting the family business. That doesn't mean that the Family doesn't still consider you one of them."

"I don't believe you," Peeta said fiercely. "My dad would have told me."

"Ask him yourself," Haymitch shrugged, turning back to face the closed door. "We have all the time you want to waste."

Peeta took him up on the challenge. He whipped out his phone and had dialed his father's cellphone number before Haymitch had the chance to blink. Peeta watched Haymitch sternly as he listened to the echoing rings. He didn't want Haymitch to be right. It couldn't be true. Mrs. Everdeen's accusations ran thickly through his head, reminding Peeta what was at stake. His dad picked up after the third ring.

"Peeta! How have you been, son? I haven't spoken to you in – "

"Sorry, Dad," Peeta cut his father off. "I don't really have time to chat. This isn't a pleasure call."

"Oh, so it's business we're talking." Peeta could hear his father's amusement as if what he said was a joke. "What can I do you for?"

Peeta thought the direct approach was best. "Are you in the Mob?" he asked, bluntly.

Peeta felt his dad's hesitation. "Why do you ask that?"

"Katniss and Prim are in the hospital and this dick of a FBI agent insisted that you were part of the Mob and I argued against him, but he's seems to think – "

"Whoa, Peet, slow down," Peeta's dad interrupted. "Katniss and Prim are in the hospital?"

"Yes," Peeta said, impatiently. "Katniss is fine. Just a bump on the head. But Prim, she was shot and now she's in a coma and they don't know if she'll wake up."

"Oh, Peeta. I'm so sorry. How is Katniss dealing with all of that?"

"Better than to be expected," Peeta relented with exasperation. "But that was before she saw Prim. I don't know how she's doing now. But Dad, you didn't answer my question. Are you in the Mob?"

Peeta's dad let out an extended sigh. "No, Peeta. I'm not."

Peeta took a deep breath in relief. "Thank you. I knew what he was saying was absurd, but – "

"Peeta! I'm not in the mob _anymore_."

That last word rattled around Peeta's brain for a minute, not wanting to fit in with everything else he knew about his father. His dad was part of the Mob. He possibly knew the guys who went after Katniss and Prim. Peeta felt dirty. There weren't enough showers in the world to rid him of the contaminating stench that somehow connected him to Prim's attempted murder.

"Shit, Dad," Peeta murmured, "I don't…"

"It was a long time ago, son. It was just something I was born into. Our family had been involved for generations. I got out before you and your brothers were born, though. There's no reason for you to ever be a part of that."

"It was my fault," Peeta gasped. "It was my fault Prim was shot. I don't get why, but it was."

"Peeta, don't be ridiculous," his dad argued. "The Mob wouldn't go anywhere near you. My branch of the family is inactive, but there is enough familial feelings left to keep you safe. Blood runs deep."

Peeta wasn't listening anymore. His mind was off on a different track. "This is why Mrs. Everdeen doesn't like me, isn't it?" Peeta demanded. "She's knows about this, doesn't she?"

"Ivy and I dated when we were young, when I was still a part of that. I wasn't involved much. I was just getting acquainted. But yes, she knew. And she wanted me as far away from it as possible. I was reluctant to listen to her."

"Why?"

"I may not agree with their procedures, but they are still family, Peeta. It was all I ever knew."

Peeta tried to imagine it, tried to put himself in that position. It was hard to do, but if he squinted his eyes and tilted his head he _almost_ saw his father's point.

"You got out though?"

"I did," Peeta's dad responded hesitantly. "But it was too late for Ivy and me. She had already broken up with me."

"You got out for her." It wasn't a question.

"I loved her, Peet. Love does that. It tends to make difficult decisions much simpler. But like I said, it didn't matter. She had already moved on by the time I was clean."

"And Mom?" Peeta questioned. "Does she know about this?"

"Your mother knows," Peeta's dad confirmed. "Though her opinion differs from Ivy's."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Now, I don't want you to think badly of her or think that we don't love each other because we do, but your mother was expecting different when she married a Mellark. She enjoyed what that name entailed. She was rather disappointed when she found out that I wasn't involved in any of that."

Peeta wanted to say he was surprised by this revelation, but he wasn't. His mother was one for prosperity and status. She was always attracted to money and power. Suddenly, it made much more sense why she had been so dissatisfied owning a bakery all of these years. She couldn't help thinking about what could have been.

"Am I the only one who didn't know about this," Peeta asked sadly.

"Your brothers don't know."

"You have to tell them," Peeta pronounced. "It was wrong of you to keep something like this from us in the first place. They can get themselves into all kinds of shit without even realizing if you don't."

"Peeta," Peeta's father said softly, concern in his voice, "what's going on? Maybe I can help."

Peeta sighed and raked his fingers through is hair. "I don't think you can, Dad. And I don't want you involved. Besides, even if I wanted to tell you, I don't really understand what's happening." Peeta looked over to Haymitch who was once again leaning against the wall, this time with his eyes closed. For all intents and purposes, he looked as though he was off in his own world utterly disinterested, but Peeta knew he was listening. "Listen, I got to go."

"But, Peeta – "

"No, seriously, Dad. And don't worry about me. I'll be fine. I'm going to take care of it."

"Peeta – "

"Bye." Peeta hung up and hid his phone back in his pocket. His mind was reeling and he couldn't help but feel slightly betrayed by his father. He marched over to where Haymitch stood and moved so he was only a foot away, encroaching on the man's personal space and inhaling the man's personal stench. "What does it mean?"

Sensing his presence, Haymitch squinted at him through barely opened eyelids like he was a pesky fly he longed to swat.

"Why does it matter that my family has mob connections?"

With a dramatic heave, Haymitch pushed himself off the wall and stood straight on unsteady feet. They were now directly in each other's faces. Haymitch's breath wasn't an improvement over his body odor. "It matters, boy," Haymitch growled, "because the Mob tends to have a strong sense of loyalty. Unless you double-cross them, once a member of the Family, always a member of the Family. And although it's hard to sever ties, if one manages to do it peacefully like your father did, then that still counts. According to our source, that means all you Mellarks are safe. You have a virtual protective bubble surrounding your ass so the Family won't touch you."

"Great," Peeta said sarcastically. "I have a get out of jail free card with the Mob. But I'm not even a potential target, so I still don't see how this has to do with anything."

"You think that they just woke up this morning and decided, 'Hey, lets go shoot the Everdeens today,' without so much as a forethought?" Haymitch demanded. "Use your brain, boy. They've been watching them, for who knows how long. They saw you and Miss Congeniality together enough to be…unclear of her status in your life."

"Katniss's status? I…I don't…"

Haymitch smirked. "There was _confusion_ about whether Katniss should be treated as an Everdeen or a Mellark."

Peeta gaped, still having difficulties comprehending what Haymitch was trying to tell him.

Haymitch smacked himself in the forehead impatiently. "Let me spell this out for you," he said brusquely. "You spend so much time with your little wifey that there is some suspicion that she may be your girlfriend, which makes her a potential Mellark."

Something clicked in Peeta's brain as if the last piece of the puzzle fell into place and he was finally clued into the picture and he couldn't stop laughing. "Are you serious?" he managed to sputter out in between chuckles. "They think I'm dating Katniss and plan on marrying her? So they only shot Prim because hurting Katniss may break their self-inflected no Mellark rule? That's messed up."

"And that reaction right there is why you two could never pull off that whole engaged act."

That sobered Peeta up. He narrowed his eyes at Haymitch, seeing the man clearly for the first time. He was much more cunning than Peeta gave him credit for. "And you wish we could."

"Don't mock the protection your name could give her. If you're looking for some magic solution to this mess, that is your best bet. If you could pull it off."

"We could," Peeta insisted, determined to keep the promise that he'd do whatever it took to protect Katniss.

Haymitch snorted. "I doubt it. They'd always be watching you. You'd have to pretend to be engaged to her 24/7. You two couldn't even pull it off for the hour I was with you."

Peeta chewed his inner cheek, trying to come up with something to say that would convince Haymitch to give this a shot. Now that he knew there was something legitimate he could do to help Katniss out, there was absolutely no chance he was giving up the opportunity. If he didn't do this and something happened to Katniss, well, he couldn't bear the thought. He pictured Prim laying stoic in a bed on the opposite side of the wall. A misconception was that only thing keeping Katniss from lying besides her. Peeta knew what he must do. And Haymitch wasn't the only one he had to convince. Katniss would not appreciate his desire to help. She never dealt with those types of things well and she'd think she was being selfish by accepting his offer. Either way, Peeta knew he had to try.

Haymitch was watching Peeta expectantly, his thin eyebrows raised halfway up his forehead. Peeta looked directly at Haymitch, a new determination gracing his features. "Being a Mellark would protect her?"

Haymitch nodded, silently.

"I have an idea."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Peeta tried again, for what felt like the hundredth time, to open Katniss's door. The handle rattled uselessly with his grip, barely yielding a few millimeters of give. Peeta groaned and pressed his head against the smooth panel. "Katniss," Peeta cringed at the whining tone his voice had taken on, "let me in."

All was silent on the other side of the door besides for the few ruffles that indicated Katniss's movement, not that he expected differently. _At least she's not dead_, Peeta thought sarcastically. "Unlock the door, Katniss," Peeta said, more firmly. He banged his flat palm against the wood, the deadened thud echoing his frustration. When there was still no response, Peeta growled. "You're being incredibly irritating."

Katniss had been locked in her room for almost 40 minutes now with absolutely no explanation. Back at the hospital, she had stormed out of Prim's room not long after Peeta and Haymitch had finished discussing Peeta's idea. Without so much as a glance towards them, Katniss had torn off down the hallway with Peeta trotting worriedly behind her and Haymitch (along with the various other FBI agents) frantically trying to confirm there wasn't a hit man lurking around the corner. She didn't make a sound until she and Peeta were sitting in the back of Haymitch's car while he explained her two options moving forward. As Peeta predicted, Katniss chose to finish her schooling with little hesitation. Katniss knew it would be difficult to be away from her sister, but she also knew she couldn't sit idly by and wait for her to get better. She had to do _something_. She would finish getting her degree so when (Katniss refused to think if) Prim got better, she'd be able to get a good job to help pay to make Prim's dreams come true.

That was all Katniss said, though. After she answered Haymitch's question, she turned to stare out the window until the vehicle came to a stop. She was out of the car and into the building before either Peeta or Haymitch was able to get their seatbelts off. By the time Peeta reached her apartment, Katniss's door was already locked.

"Katniss!" Peeta hammered twice more on her door before throwing up his hands in exasperation and spinning on his heels. He marched to her small kitchen and started ripping open the drawers that stood to the left of the stove. The contents of the drawers clattered around from the force of Peeta's movements. The noise seemed to awaken Haymitch who had taken to lounging on Katniss's couch.

He peered at Peeta through the kitchen window, which opened to the living room. "I take it she didn't take it well?"

Peeta ignored him as his fingers sought out what he was looking for. Closing his grasp on the small object, he ran back to Katniss's room. Staring at the door for a few seconds longer, he fumbled with the metal paperclip in his hand, unbending one of the ends so it stuck out straight from its body. Carefully, he wedged the point into the small hole centered in the doorknob and ran it along the unseen edges. His movements were sloppy and unpracticed, but after a minute of probing, Peeta found the small divot he was looking for. He pressed insistently on the end of the paperclip still clutched in his fingers until he heard the small snap of the lock giving way. Peeta smiled inwardly, secretly proud of himself, as he swung the door open.

Immediately, Peeta was forced to duck down as a heavy book came cascading toward his head. "What the hell?" Peeta shouted as Katniss's textbook landed on the floor with a resounding thump. He wasn't quick enough to evade the second object Katniss threw at him, however, which turned out to be an empty water bottle. The casing hit him squarely in the chest and bounced off him.

"Go away, Peeta!" Katniss screamed at him while returning to her previous activity of stuffing unfolded clothes into the duffel and large suitcase that lay on her bed.

Peeta grimaced at her harsh words. Unfortunately, it wasn't the first time he's heard them from her. But Katniss only said them sparingly, only when she was mad at him. But for the life of him, he couldn't figure out what he had recently done to piss her off. Was it because he left her alone with her mother? "Katniss, what's wrong?"

Katniss scoffed, not believing he could ask that question at a time like this.

Peeta caught on quickly. "Right, that was stupid. I mean besides the obvious. Why are you upset with _me?_"

Katniss ignored him and continued to tear at the fabric residing within her drawers, flinging unwanted pieces to the floor.

"Talk to me, Katniss," Peeta pleaded, taking a step closer. "Please. I want to be here for you. Don't shut me out."

"I don't want to talk to you," Katniss snarled. "I don't even know if I can trust you anymore."

That last sentence was a direct hit to Peeta's heart. No matter how angry they had gotten with each other in the past (and there were a few blow outs throughout their friendship), they always knew that they'd be there for each other no matter what. That's why they've been friends for so long. Losing Katniss's trust was perhaps the worst thing that could happen, especially now, and Peeta felt as if it was greatly undeserved. However, that sentence did give him a hunch as to what was making Katniss so upset. He remembered what his father told him about Katniss's mom and suspected that she might have shared his father's past with Katniss. Peeta had to make sure, though.

Peeta closed the gap between them and put his hands on both of her shoulders, forcing Katniss to face him. Before he had a chance to say anything, Katniss shrieked and shoved him off of her. Peeta stumbled backwards towards Katniss's mahogany desk, throwing his hands behind him to break his fall. Instead of catching himself, Peeta ended up knocking over the glass vase filled with katniss flowers that he had placed on the desk that morning for Katniss's birthday. The vase shattered beneath him and he fell on the fragmented pieces, slicing open his hand in the process.

"Shit," Peeta groaned, wincing at the deep cut which had already started to bleed. Recognizing one of the articles of clothing on the ground as his own, he grabbed at the discarded shirt and wrapped it tightly around his hand, hoping to stave off the bleeding.

Katniss allowed her worry for Peeta to overcome her anger for a moment, but upon seeing that he was fine, let fury consume her once more. She stood over Peeta, who stared at her with wide sapphire eyes, and started to explode. "You knew! You knew this whole time, didn't you? You and your family were just sitting around your dinner table having a lovely time planning out the Everdeens' deaths." Peeta, whose eyes were growing to the size of vinyl records, was already shaking his head. Katniss continued before he had a chance to interrupt. If even half of what her mother told her in the hospital was true, she knew she had a right to be mad at Peeta. She wasn't going to allow him to sweet talk out of it like he always does.

"How could you do this to me, Peeta?" Katniss demanded, trying to control her traitorous tear ducts. "How could you do this after sixteen years of friendship? Unless that was part of the plan all along. Were you told to befriend me all those years ago? Or maybe it was just a lucky coincidence that you took advantage of."

Peeta pushed himself to his feet, careful not to use his injured hand. Between the incessant stinging and Katniss's unfounded accusations, he was starting to get pissed off. Clearly, Katniss's mom didn't know the full story. "Stop it, Katniss," Peeta growled, "before you say something you can't take back. You're thinking irrationally."

"Irrationally?" Katniss repeated, outraged. "My sister was shot today! Prim was _shot!_ Excuse me if I'm being a little irrational while you sit there guilt free even though it's all your fault."

"Stop it!" Peeta spat. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't I?" Katniss questioned, ruthlessly, hands on hips. "Well, lets see just how much I know, shall we? Prim was shot today by the mob. Real or not real?"

Katniss tilted her head slightly and waited for Peeta's response. Despite the fact that Peeta did not like where this was going, he said, "real."

"Prim was shot by a mob _your_ family has connections with. Real or not real?"

Peeta crinkled his nose at the underlying allegation, but through gritted teeth, he mumbled, "real."

"And the shooter, for all intents and purposes, could well have been a member of the Mellark family. Real or not real?"

Peeta hadn't thought of this. Though his dad wasn't active, his grandparents and his uncle were. Technically, one of them _could_ have shot Prim, for all he knew. The guilt in the pit of his stomach returned with full force. He couldn't meet Katniss's eye when he replied, "real."

Katniss's nostrils flared. She desperately wanted Peeta to say 'not real' on that last one. But his answer served to refuel the fire raging through her veins. "And you clearly knew," Katniss hissed, "about all of this before I spoke to you about it. Real or not real?"

Peeta gulped. This is where the betraying of trust would come into the equation, which Peeta thought was unfair seeing as he only had found out himself a couple of hours ago. But they promised they'd never lie to each other. "Real," Peeta said quietly. "But, Katniss, I didn't know about any of this before today. I swear."

For a second, Katniss looked doubtful, as though a hole had just been poked through her ironclad theory. But after a few seconds, she shook her head and narrowed her eyes. "Bullshit," she stated. "Your dad's in the mob, Peeta. And you're expecting me to believe he told you nothing?"

"But he's not in the mob," Peeta said quickly, glad to have something to plead his case with. "Please, Katniss. You have to believe me. My dad's not part of the mob. He got out before I was born. Before my brothers were born! He hasn't been involved in over 25 years!"

"W-what?" Katniss stammered, her eyes finally misting over. She blinked rapidly to clear her vision.

Peeta, relieved that he finally got through to her, placed his good hand on Katniss's cheek. "Katniss, I promise you, my family and I had nothing to do with today's attack. Alright? I know you're looking for someone to blame, Kat, and I don't fault you for that, but please don't blame me. I would never do anything to hurt you or Prim. You know that."

Katniss closed her eyes against his words. Thirty seconds ago, she had been so sure she was right, but once again, Peeta's statements cut right through her harsh exterior to vaporize her rage. She wanted to hate him for that, for being able to calm her when there was no calm to be found, but she couldn't. She suddenly felt Peeta's body against hers and Katniss cocooned herself within his arms, hating herself further for finding comfort and shelter there.

They stood there for a few minutes like that, Peeta's arms secured around Katniss and Katniss buried in his chest, while Peeta rocked them gently back and forth. Katniss was doing her best to try and remain sane. So much had happened in the past 24 hours that she felt emotionally drained and wanted nothing more than a long sleep. She was going to tell Peeta this when he abruptly started to speak first.

"Marry me."

Katniss wasn't sure she had heard him correctly until he repeated himself after he got no response. Katniss rapidly shoved him again, more gently this time, so she was out of his arms. "Ha ha, Peeta. Very funny."

"I'm serious," Peeta said softly, his eyes never leaving Katniss who resumed to pack away her clothes, this time folding them beforehand. "Marry me."

Katniss rolled her eyes. "I know lying to the FBI is a big 'no-no,' but I seriously doubt they'll care that you lied about being my fiancé to get into my hospital room."

"That's not why I'm asking," Peeta insisted. "I want to marry you."

Katniss turned to look at Peeta for the first time and saw nothing but sincerity in his blue eyes. Suddenly, the room seemed too small and Katniss was having difficulties breathing. Peeta seriously couldn't be asking her to marry him out of the blue like this? Katniss didn't love him like that and she thought he didn't love her either. Now, all Katniss could see was their friendship being swallowed whole by the monstrous flames that were this proposal. She could feel a panic attack coming on.  
"Stop it, Peeta. You're scaring me."

"Katniss, just listen – "

"No, Peeta. It's been a crazy day. I think – I think you should just go."

Peeta refused to budge, firmly digging the soles of his feet into the carpet as Katniss tried to force him through the door. "I'm not going anywhere until you hear me out."

"I don't have to," Katniss squeaked with panic. Why wouldn't he just leave? "Nothing you say to me is going to change my mind. I don't want to have to do this, Peeta, because I care about you just not in _that_ way. I don't know how long you've felt like this, but proposing to me was way out of line. And I'm sorry, Peeta, but I don't want to marry you."

Katniss didn't know what she expected. A crestfallen expression? Slumped shoulders? Tears? Instead, she got laughter, great, booming chuckles that filled the small space of her bedroom. She watched Peeta's chest expand with his amusement, utterly confused and slightly scared. Did she break him or something?

"You thought – " Peeta choked out. "You thought I wanted to marry you because – because I'm…_in love_ with you, or something?"

Katniss nodded silently, which only caused Peeta to laugh harder, his body doubling over in its attempt to contain the hilarity. Katniss crossed her arms over her chest, scowling, unable to see the joke in all of this. In no way did she find this situation funny.

"Alright, I get it," she said sourly. "I'm this unlovable creature and it was ridiculous to ever think you could be in love with me. Now stop laughing."

Peeta stood up straight, still struggling to control his small hiccups from his laughing fit and wiping the small collection of water that gathered in the corner on his eyes. "It wasn't ridiculous, okay? I'm sorry. And you're not unlovable. Don't ever say that about yourself. It's just…I'm your best friend and – "

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Katniss waved him off. "You care to explain then? What other reason do you have for wanting to marry me?"

The question changed Peeta's mood entirely. He suddenly looked nervous and ran his hand through his hair. "Maybe you should sit down."

Katniss rolled her eyes, but did as she was told.

Peeta sat down next to her and leaned forward so his elbows were pressing into his knees. He was unsure as to how Katniss was going to react to what he was about to tell her. "There was a reason why Prim was shot today."

"Yeah, I know the reason, Peeta."

"No," Peeta shook his head, starting over. "There was a reason Prim was shot _instead_ of you."

Katniss gaped at him, clearly at a loss at what to say.

Peeta continued after taking a deep breath. "It kind of is my fault, just not in the way you thought." He chewed the inside of his cheek until he tasted the metallic flavor of blood, grateful that Katniss was allowing him to explain. "Because the Mellarks were – are part of the mob, anyone who is considered a Mellark has a small layer of protection."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Katniss asked quietly.

Peeta looked sheepishly at Katniss from the corner of his eye. "Funny thing, actually. Apparently, they think you and I are dating, which makes you a temporary Mellark."

Katniss was silent as she fiddled with her thumbs in her lap. "So great, I'm safe," Katniss said in a monotone voice. Peeta knew that she wasn't actually happy about the news and that she was again trying to figure out a way she could have saved Prim from her fate.

"You're not safe, Kat," Peeta argued. "They're going to figure out that you and I aren't dating and once they do, they'll attack. I can't let that happen. That's why I want to marry you. To protect you."

"I don't need protection, Peeta," Katniss said angrily, standing up and starting to pace the length of the room.

"Yes, you do," Peeta argued, stepping in her path and grabbing her shoulders. Katniss met his stare with an apprehensive one of her own. "Listen, you're going to get protection no matter what. The FBI is going to send you somewhere, but I won't know where you are and I won't be able to contact you. Do you understand? You'll be alone. The FBI, they told me _I'm_ the reason you're standing here right now. And _I _can be the reason you're standing here a year from now. You're in danger, Kat, but that danger would be dramatically reduced if your last name were Mellark. Let me do that for you. Please, marry me."

"Listen to him, sweetheart."

Katniss and Peeta both jumped, completely unaware that they weren't alone. Haymitch had joined them and was currently situated in the doorframe, legs and arms both crossed, a bemused expression plastering his face.

"Was this your idea?" Katniss accused, turning crossly to Haymitch. "Did you tell him he needed to do this?"

"Nope," Haymitch smirked. "It was all him. I was all for the fake engagement. But he doesn't half ass things, does he?"

"And you don't think it's a bad idea?"

Haymitch shrugged. "It's extreme," was all he said.

"It would only be temporary, Kat," Peeta inputted quietly. "Just until this thing blows over, and it will blow over. When it does, we'd get a divorce and it would be like it never happened."

Katniss felt as though she was between a rock and a hard place. Under no circumstances did she want to marry Peeta. For one thing, she never planned on getting married, especially to him. The whole concept of marriage frightened her and she couldn't see herself going through with it. Also, she didn't want to involve Peeta with any of this. Even though they didn't say it, she knew that by marrying her, Peeta was putting his life at risk. She couldn't allow that. On the other hand, she knew that Peeta and Haymitch were ganging up on her and they were going to pressure her into going through with their poorly crafted idea. Peeta could be a persuasive bitch at the best of times.

"Why can't we just pretend?" Katniss asked timidly, looking for an escape clause.

Haymitch frowned. "Two reasons. One: witness protection usually doesn't allow _friends_ to come along for the ride. Waste of funds, or something like that. But, I suppose an exception possibly could be made in this case. It is extremely unusual. Two: we could make fake papers for you, but eventually the mob would figure out they're fake. Not only would that put you in immediate danger, but Peeta as well. They would see it as some sort of betrayal."

Katniss quickly shook her head. That definitely wasn't an option. Nothing that would jeopardize Peeta. She looked between Peeta and Haymitch, who were both staring at her with hopeful expressions on their faces. It was her decision, but it didn't feel like it. She gazed into Peeta's eyes, seeing nothing but worry and care in their depths. She understood why he was doing this for her because she would offer the same if the situation was reversed.

"Please, Katniss," Peeta whispered with such vulnerability in his timbre that it shattered Katniss's wavering resistance.

She sighed deeply, knowing that sometime in the future she was going to regret this. "Fine," she conceded. "I'll do it."

**Author's Notes: Hopefully the story is picking up? Also, I hope no one was offended by Peeta's reaction when Katniss suggested he was in love with her. We all know he is going to change his mind. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

It took a few weeks to set everything in order. In the meantime, Katniss was confined to her apartment, which had been secured by the FBI. There was 24-hour surveillance around the perimeter and an agent stationed directly outside of her door, which was sure to spread rumors throughout the building. Madge was being very accommodating about the whole thing, especially because Katniss wasn't really allowed to explain why she was being protected. Peeta had practically moved in with them, living out of suitcases in the living room on the pull out couch. Katniss had insisted that the action wasn't necessary, but Peeta had argued that it made him feel better knowing she had made it safely through the night.

"Besides," he told her, "it's better for our cover, anyway. They'll be thinking I'm sleeping in your bed and not on your couch."

Katniss had blushed at his words and stopped protesting.

When it came towards the end of June, both Katniss and Peeta were starting to feel anxious. Katniss literally hadn't breathed fresh air in over a month and she was going a little stir crazy, missing the ability to be outdoors for long periods of time. Peeta was starting to worry something had gone seriously wrong. Surely, the FBI would be able to figure out a location to place them by now? They had been told to be packed and ready so that they could leave with a minutes notice and had been ready to do so for a while.

It got to the point where Peeta had decided to take matters into his own hands. He was currently sitting stoically at the kitchen table with Katniss sitting across from him, both of their heads bent over the surface so they could talk without Madge overhearing.

"You're insane!" Katniss hissed, having difficulties keeping her voice low.

"Katniss, I don't want to wait any longer," Peeta argued in a whisper. "I want to get it over with so I don't have to worry anymore. The FBI is taking way too long to get this done."

"Did you ever think that maybe they've changed their minds?" Katniss asked. "Maybe they've decided it's not a good idea for me to marry you."

"Don't be stupid. That's the only good idea they've come up with so far. And it wasn't even theirs!"

"Being a little full of yourself, aren't you?"

"I need to marry you," Peeta said with desperation. "Now. We could just get Madge or someone ordained over the Internet and have them marry us in the living room."

"You're insane!" Katniss repeated. "And there's no way I'm letting Madge or anyone else find out about this. We'll disappear and by the time they see us again, we'll be divorced. No one has to know."

"Katniss?"

Katniss and Peeta snapped apart at Madge's voice, Peeta's chair scraping harshly against the floor.

"You have a visitor," Madge said quietly, her eyes wide, frightened that she had done something wrong.

"Who – "

"Miss me, sweetheart?"

"Haymitch." Katniss sat up straighter, actually excited to see the disgruntled man. He hadn't stopped by in a while and his presence could only mean that he brought news. She could sense Peeta thought the same thing.

Haymitch glared at Madge until she understood her presence was not wanted. With a small squeak, she disappeared in a whip of blonde hair. He then turned back to the two sitting at the table, looking up at him with expectant expressions and a smidge of guilt. Haymitch raised his eyebrows. "Was I interrupting something?"

"No," Katniss and Peeta answered together, a bit too eagerly.

Haymitch sniggered. "Too bad. Make your jobs easier if I were."

"What's going on?' Peeta asked, wanting to get directly to the point. He knew this was the moment he and Katniss had been waiting for. Suddenly, the air in the room felt electric.

Haymitch clapped his hands in front of him, rubbing them up and down in excitement. "Ready to leave?"

Peeta's strong jaw dropped as he stared at Haymitch, disbelieving, while Katniss stammered, "N-now?"

Haymitch gave them a closed mouth smile. "Tomorrow morning. Early. You have a long drive ahead of you."

"We're driving?" Peeta asked, incredulously. "Ourselves? Where?"

"First to Las Vegas to get you two hitched," Haymitch's smile spread as if he found this the most entertaining thing in the world. "Then to the apartment we've set up for you right off campus at Capitol College. It's a private school about an hour from Salt Lake City."

Katniss and Peeta exchanged discerning looks. Neither had heard of the college before, though Katniss supposed she shouldn't be surprised. She didn't know many schools outside of the northeast. Peeta was more focused on the Las Vegas part of the plan. Even though it really didn't matter, he couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed. Despite the fact that their marriage was going to be essentially fake, it still bothered Peeta that the chosen venue was incredibly tacky. Two kids running off to Vegas to get married? How cliché was that? Both Katniss and Peeta, however, were surprised about their final destination. The last time they had seen Haymitch, he had told them that Snow was suspected to be currently based in Utah.

Haymitch smirked when Peeta voiced his concern. "It's the Purloined Letter approach."

Katniss's forehead creased when she didn't understand the reference. She was a math and science sort of person, so she turned to Peeta who was much more liberal arts. She wasn't disappointed.

He smiled softly at her and said, "It's Edgar Allen Poe, Kat. Hiding something in plain sight."

"Snow won't be expecting for us to parade you two right under his nose," Haymitch agreed. "So tomorrow morning, that's exactly where you'll be heading. Two of our agents will be traveling with you. In their own car. They'll come to the apartment to escort you to the car you'll be driving. They're names are Cinna and Portia. You two better do exactly as they say."

After a few more details were punched out, Haymitch left Katniss and Peeta alone to suffer the tensest night of their lives, though they each suffered alone. Haymitch hadn't lied; the agents arrived bright and early to find two tired and slightly grumpy twenty-one year olds. Cinna was in his thirties and stood taller than Peeta with dark skin and cropped hair. He wore a simple trimmed black suit and a gold earring in both ears. Portia was a tall, heavy shouldered woman who wore a sharp business suit of deep blue. Her skin was a smooth caramel color and her hair was blonde and short. Both agents were obviously armed, but somehow they complemented each other. And they seemed friendly enough

After writing a short note to Madge (who was still sound asleep), Katniss and Peeta trudged to the new, nondescript car provided for them by the FBI. The car ride itself was uneventful. They had decided to take turns driving while the other slept soundlessly in the passenger seat, only stopping for gas and bathroom breaks. The entire journey took 40 hours and they crossed 12 state borders, but they made it.

Driving through Las Vegas was intimidating, the bright lights overwhelming and a bigger shock than expected, considering they had lived in New York for the past three years. Eventually, they found their hotel and checked in easily. It had been Katniss driving at the end, her burning eyes and overshadowing drowsiness mixing with her steadily increasing anxiety over the upcoming nuptials making her cranky. She and Peeta were silent on their way to their twin room and as soon as the door swung open, Katniss locked herself in the bathroom, desperately needing a shower to lift her spirits.

Katniss hadn't realized how long she was in there until Peeta starting banging on the door asking if she was okay. She ignored him, choosing instead to study the hills and valleys that made up her pruned fingers. She turned off the shower and watched the remaining drips sink through the drain before wrapping herself in a towel. Peeta was still knocking, asking for a response.

Katniss ripped the door open and caught Peeta mid-knock by surprise. "What do you want?" she snapped, nastily.

Peeta flinched, fully aware of how malicious Katniss could be when she was in a bad mood. Peeta put his hands up in surrender before backing away, figuring it was best to let her cool down before trying to talk to her.

Katniss, feeling like an incredible bitch, relented. "I'm sorry," she told him. Peeta stopped to turn back to her. "I'm just…"  
"Not thrilled at the idea of marrying me?" Peeta finished for her.

Katniss looked down guiltily. "Sorry."

"Don't be," Peeta yielded. "I know this wasn't ever what you saw for your future."

"It's not you, Peeta. You know that, right?"

"Yeah, I know." Peeta paused. "Just look on the bright side. You won't have to deal with all those creeps hitting on you anymore."

"Who says they'll stop hitting on me?" Katniss asked playfully, her mood lifting.

"A wedding ring tends to scare off the best of them."

Katniss held out her bare left hand, trying to picture a band around her ring finger, but had difficulties doing so. She was never a big fan of rings in the first place. "Are you going to wear one?"  
"Of course," Peeta stated as if that was the most obvious thing in the world. "Why wouldn't I?"

"How are you going to cope," Katniss asked delicately, finally bringing up the topic she had thought about on multiple occasions, but had been too frightened to discuss.

"With being married to you?" Peeta grinned. "I don't know. I figure somewhere down the line I'll challenge you to a game of chicken. That's bound to get one of us out of the marriage."

Katniss laughed despite of herself. She walked into the room and faced the bed, keeping her back towards Peeta. She couldn't talk about this while looking into his eyes. "I just mean…you'll be married. You won't be able to date…or…you know." Katniss couldn't force herself to complete the sentence and felt her face flush. She was glad that all Peeta could see was her towel-clad backside.

Peeta laughed, knowing full well that Katniss was extremely uncomfortable talking about sex. "I'm not a man-whore, Katniss."

"Come on, Peeta," Katniss said, fingering the frayed edges of the bedspread. "I don't think you've gone a week without sex."

"That's not fair. It's not like they were one-night stands. They were my _girlfriends_. I'm allowed to sleep with them."

"Please," Katniss said, spinning around to face Peeta without thinking. "You're a serial dater. You go through girls faster than Adrian Peterson runs the forty. None of them have lasted more than two months. And I know there's been one-night stands, so don't lie."

"At times," Peeta allowed, suddenly feeling uncomfortable himself. "But I have done monogamy, Katniss. I can be a one-girl guy."

"This isn't about monogamy," Katniss said bluntly. "This is about celibacy."

Their eyes met and Katniss became painfully aware that she was standing in nothing but a short, white towel. Peeta became aware of that fact too and was now looking anywhere but at Katniss, fighting the blush that was slowly crawling up the back of his neck.

Katniss cleared her throat, not used to having to break the silence while around Peeta. "I don't want to lie to you, Peeta. I'm not happy about this. I mean I see the logic in it, but this isn't something I would have chosen for myself. The idea of legally becoming your wife…"

"Relax, Kat," Peeta said, his voice low. "Just remember why we're doing this. It's temporary, okay? Not real. It doesn't matter. We won't consummate the marriage. I would never ask that of you. It'll just be on paper. This might be the shortest marriage in history, so please don't worry about this?"

Katniss bit her lip and nodded. Not entirely satisfied, Peeta exited to the bathroom to allow himself a shower and time for Katniss to get dressed. Once he was clean, they both decided to order room service. Cinna and Portia joined them to eat, finalizing the plan for the next day. Katniss and Peeta weren't really expecting anything, but Cinna and Portia seemed to be pouring their heart and soul into the wedding. They were focused on the romanticism of the whole thing and Peeta had to remind them on several occasions that Katniss and him weren't actually in love. Cinna gently brushed him off, insisting that the ceremony be beautiful anyway. Katniss didn't offer any input. She just wanted it to be as quick and painless as possible.

That night, Katniss and Peeta locked the door on their retreating shadow with heavy trepidation in their hearts. It was one of the strangest wedding eves that there possibly ever was. The soon-to-be bride and groom shared a room, but not a bed. They barely spoke two words to each other and had troubles connecting each other's gazes. It was only after they settled down in bed, the darkness weighing heavily in the room that Peeta spoke.

"Are you okay?"

Katniss sighed, flipping over so that she was facing the wall. "No. I'm not. Tomorrow, for better or worse, will change everything and it might be the biggest mistake of my life, but I'm going to go through with it. And you know what's the saddest part? I'm not even that upset for me. I'm upset for you."

"What do you mean?"

"You don't deserve this, Peeta," Katniss said. "You deserve better. You deserve to be marrying someone you love and who loves you back. Not some crazy girl who is using you as a bulletproof vest."

Peeta was silent for a moment, digesting her words. "You know what scares me?"

"What?"

Peeta hesitated, unsure how his statement would affect them tomorrow when everything was bright and lucid. "I'm scared that when all of this is over and we get our divorce, I won't be able to find another girl who lives up to you."

**Author's Notes: Semi-filler chapter, but at least I got it out quickly. I would love to hear your thoughts so far. Thanks to all who have already shared. Next up: the wedding ;)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Katniss woke up the next morning to an empty room, the covers on Peeta's bed thrown to the side and crumpled in the corner. For a split second, Katniss panicked, thinking that Peeta had finally come to his senses and left her on her own. She quickly shook her head of the thought, knowing that even if that was true, Peeta would have woken her up to explain face to face.

Slowly, she stumbled out of bed, initially struggling to get her feet untangled from the twisted sheets. She staggered over to the window to open the blinds that kept the room bathed in darkness. As the curtain slid sideways, the light swarmed her and Katniss hissed at the brightness. She blinked furiously as her pupils contracted, trying their best to get adjusted to the sunlight. Shocked at how sunny it was, Katniss glanced at the standard clock on the nightstand. It was nearing eleven o'clock. Katniss couldn't believe how late she had slept, normally being an early riser. But not getting a good nights sleep in a month tended to catch up with you eventually. However, she felt calmer about Peeta's disappearance. He probably had gotten tired of waiting and gone to get something to eat.

It was only then that Katniss noticed the small, low bearing, white clothed dining cart situated next to the dresser. Her stomach growling, Katniss quickly strode to the table. A metallic covering sat in the center, it's curved surface showing Katniss a distorted image of her face. A folded piece of paper lay in front of the tray and Katniss reluctantly reached for that first, curiosity getting the better of her. She flipped the page over to find Peeta's tight script reading:

_Katniss –_

_ If you're wondering where I am and if I'm okay, please don't. Portia came storming in five minutes ago demanding I leave before you wake up. It's something about a bride and groom seeing each other on their wedding day. It's bad luck. And even though this marriage isn't real and is doomed to end before it begins, I guess we can't afford to risk any more than necessary._

_ I hope you don't spend the entire day worrying and feeling guilty. You're my best friend, Kat, and I would give up a whole lot more than my single status to protect you. In the grand scheme of things, this is nothing. Sure, to the outside world we'll be husband and wife, but to us, we'll still be best friends. Nothing can change that. This won't change anything._

_ Anyway, I'll see you this afternoon. Portia wants me to tell you to call Cinna when you're ready so he can come over and help you prepare, but that he'll be at the room by eleven either way._

_ Don't stress, Kat. Please._

_ I love you,_

_ Peeta_

_I love you_. Those words glowed on the page as if someone had shone a spotlight on them. It wasn't as if she hadn't heard them from him before, but Peeta had only used them sparingly. Like when her father died or when they both got into the same university. Their friendship just wasn't like that. With them, it was more implied. But still, those words sounded so much more intimidating now that they were about to get married. Suddenly, Katniss lost her appetite.

A soft knock on the door brought Katniss away from her queasiness. She groaned, realizing it was already eleven and that she had wasted her few minutes that she had to herself. Before she had a chance to respond, the door swung open and Cinna allowed himself into the room, sliding the door key back into his pocket.

"Good morning, Katniss," Cinna said in his smooth, calm, and deep timbered voice. "How are you feeling today?"

Katniss couldn't find it in her to be annoyed at his intrusion. Instead, she shrugged her shoulders in a noncommittal manner, not trusting her voice at the moment. Cinna, who was currently dressed in head-to-toe black from his V-neck t-shirt, past his skinny jeans, to his leather boots, nodded in understanding. He walked over to the closet and slid the mirrored door open. The closet was bare (neither Katniss nor Peeta saw the point in unpacking), so Cinna had no troubles hanging the garment bag he carried on the metal rail.

"What's that?" Katniss questioned, motioning towards the object.

"Your wedding dress," Cinna responded simply.

Katniss cringed and gulped down the walnut sized lump in her throat. She hadn't taken a moment's time to even think about what she was wearing to her own ceremony, too focused on the actual marriage to worry about the wedding itself. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Katniss realized that she'd thought she'd never have to worry about something as trivial as a wedding dress. Even if one day Katniss had changed her mind and decided to get marry, she secretly planned on Prim being the one to arrange all the details. Now Prim couldn't even attend the ceremony. Katniss was sure that when Prim woke up, she'd strangle her for missing it. That thought almost made Katniss smile.

Cinna immediately ushered Katniss into the shower, complaining that they had already wasted enough time. Katniss lingered under the water, the pounding beads and warm steam numbing her nerves and ironing out the tension in her muscles. Once out of the bathroom, Cinna stood Katniss in the center of the room, covered by only a bathrobe. He circled her a few times carefully surveying her features while Katniss fought the urge to blush.

Then, without so much as a word, Cinna sat Katniss in a straight-backed chair, unloading multiple style wands onto the nearby table. "I hope you don't mind me doing this," Cinna said as he switched on the various appliances.

"Not at all," Katniss told him honestly. "I wouldn't be able to do any of this by myself. I'd probably end up walking down the aisle in my braid."

Cinna smiled at her statement.

"I wouldn't even have a dress to wear," Katniss flushed, immensely grateful for Cinna's contributions even though they were a bit excessive.

"I'm sure you would have looked beautiful no matter what you wore."

Katniss tried to think about other things while Cinna worked his magic on her, like lyrics to complicated rap songs and seeing how many digits of the number pi she could remember. Cinna's work was exquisite and efficient, his hands glossing over strands of hair with practiced ease. Katniss's hair became smooth and lustrous in a matter of moments.

"How do you know how to do all of this stuff?" Katniss asked after several minutes of silence.

Cinna smiled softly down at her, not pausing his work. "I spent some of my youth taking classes at FIT. I was hoping to become a fashion designer."

"And yet you ended up in the FBI," Katniss stated, not seeing the connection. The two occupations could not be more different from one another. "What changed?"

Cinna took a breath and his meticulously working hands faltered. "My little brother was murdered," he said with obvious pain in his voice, though his face remained level. "They never found his killer. I decided I could do a lot more good in this world making sure other people don't suffer the same fate."

Katniss was silent, unsure of how to respond. She had already taken a liking to Cinna, his composed, steady, and compassionate tendencies making him seem trustworthy. But this backstory sewed their two hearts together. Cinna truly understood what she was going through. He was an honorable man. And braver than she could ever hope to be.

"I'm sorry this happened to you, Katniss," Cinna said quietly. "No one should ever have to experience such pain, especially at such a young age. I'm here to help in any way that I can."

"And how does this help?" Katniss asked, trying to keep the bitterness out of her voice. "Making me pretty?"

"I'm just trying to help you make the best out of the situation you find yourself in." Cinna paused, carefully crafting his next words. "I know Peeta may not be your forever, but whether you like it or not, this marriage is going to be a part of your past and may define you later in life. I'm hoping that this way, you can look back with no regrets and that you'll have fond memories instead of upsetting ones."

Katniss refrained from rolling her eyes. In all honesty, she thought Cinna's take on the situation to be too idealistic. Katniss had no plans on revisiting the time she spent as Peeta's wife once the divorce goes through. She'd rather pretend like it never happened. Making such a fuss about the whole ordeal from the beginning seemed counterproductive. Nonetheless, she still appreciated the thought.

After Cinna finished with her hair, he moved on to makeup, which Katniss insisted he apply lightly (none if possible). It was only then that Cinna allowed Katniss to put on her wedding dress. He helped her slip it cautiously over her head and zipped her up from behind before spinning her to face the mirror.

Katniss was stunned. Cinna had listened to her request and kept the makeup practically invisible, but what was applied made her skin and features glow. Her dark hair fell past her shoulders in gradual waves, the front pulled back away from her face. But it was the dress that was spectacular. Simple, but elegant and striking in the details. It was a white, strapless dress that was tight in the bodice that flowed seamlessly into the skirt that stopped above the knee. What made the dress beyond beautiful was the hand-stitched embroidery that became more exhaustive the further up the dress your eyes went. Katniss choked back a sobbed, running a finger along the fine stitching. Primroses.

"Did you do this?" she whispered, not taking her eyes off the enlarge bud resting over her heart.

Cinna gave a small nod. "I thought it would be a nice symbol to remind you why you're doing this," he spoke softly. "This way, she can be with you to walk you down the aisle."

"Thank you," Katniss said, never meaning the two words more in her life.

"I'll give you a minute," Cinna said. "I have to change anyway. I'll meet you downstairs in the lobby in half an hour."

Katniss nodded at Cinna's disappearing back, still unable to take her eyes off of her reflection. She had never felt this beautiful before in her life. Cinna did the impossible and made her stronger. The dress she wore empowered her. She felt a lot calmer than she had all day.

Katniss heard the door open again. She assumed it was Cinna coming back for something he had forgotten. She spun around, planning on giving him a proper thank you, only to be met with a staring Peeta, his mouth half opened in shock.

"K-Katniss," Peeta spluttered, stumbling over words. "I'm so sorry. God. I didn't think you'd still be here." Peeta's eyes kept flickering about the room only to resettle on Katniss.

Katniss shrugged him off. "It's fine. You know I don't believe in that whole superstitious thing."

Peeta gulped, still not taking his eyes off of her. He had never seen her look like this before. Katniss wasn't exactly a "girly" girl and for her to get dressed up at all was rare. Not that she ever needed it. But right now Katniss looked absolutely stunning and Peeta couldn't help but feel slightly overheated.

While Peeta just stared at her, Katniss took the opportunity to look at what Peeta was wearing. He was in a suit and tie that stretched over his broad shoulders and Katniss could tell he had tried to comb out his unruly curls, but he didn't really succeed. The blue in his tie really brought out the blue in his eyes to the point where they were shocking to look at. All in all, Katniss thought he looked extremely handsome. She blushed at the thought.

"So…" Katniss trailed off, not able to stand the sudden tension. "Why are you here?"

"Oh," Peeta said, snapping out of his transfixed state. He started to rummage through the draws of the nightstand. "I forgot my wallet when I was run out of here." He showed her the leather pouch before slipping it into the inner pocket of his jacket.

"Okay," Katniss said, turning back around to look in the mirror again. She wondered who was going to bring up the elephant in the room first. They were getting married in less than an hour and suddenly the pressure seemed insurmountable.

Peeta came up behind Katniss to the point where they were almost touching. They locked eyes in the reflection. "You look beautiful," Peeta said tenderly, as he leaned his chin onto Katniss's shoulder.

Katniss's breath hitched. Never in her life had Peeta ever called her beautiful before. He's called her pretty and told her that guys think she's hot, but never beautiful. Katniss didn't know what to make of the compliment. She elected to say nothing.

Peeta brought his hands forward so they rested on her stomach. He traced one of the patterns engraved there with his artistic fingers. "The dress is perfect."

This was one thing they could agree on. "I know."

Peeta suddenly realized what he was doing with is hands locked around Katniss's body in such an intimate way. He hastily took a step back, releasing her and rubbing at the back of his neck. "Um…" he stammered. "Are you ready?"

"I guess," Katniss sighed. "I just need to do one last thing."

"What?"  
Katniss smirked as she turned to look at Peeta, reaching one hand up towards his face. Peeta's eyes widened, frozen and unsure of what Katniss was doing. In a quick motion, Katniss yanked Peeta's head down before running her other hand rapidly back and forth through his hair.

"Hey!" Peeta said, pushing her off. "I worked hard on that."

Katniss laughed and shrugged her shoulders as she stared up at the curly pieces that now hung naturally against his forehead. "I like it better messy."

Ten minutes later, Katniss and Peeta were walking through the lobby together towards Cinna and Portia who were patiently waiting for them. The two agents were surprised to find the pair laughing, seemingly forgetting where they were off to and what they were about to do. The good mood continued until they reached the chapel where reality set in and the acting had to begin.

"You can do this, Kat," Peeta whispered into Katniss's ear right before they stepped out of the car, holding hands.

Katniss had to try her best to remember not to look petrified, but to appear as someone madly in love enough to run off to Vegas to get hitched. Peeta seemed to be having an easier go about it, but he was a much more natural actor. He gripped her hand tightly as they entered the doors as though he expected her to run at any second.

"You can relax and give me some breathing room, Peeta," Katniss hissed at him. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Why would I do that?" Peeta asked, smirking. "I'm in love with you."

Katniss rolled her eyes, glad that someone was enjoying himself.

They didn't have to wait long before they were presenting IDs and birth certificates after filling out a decent amount of paperwork. A man with a large red beard read over everything before nodding slightly and giving them instructions. They were told that they would get a copy of the ceremony on DVD and to wait until their name was called.

Katniss was feeling extremely nauseous as she watched the one couple ahead of them enter the enclosed room. Peeta was trying his best to keep her calm by rubbing small circles into her hand with his thumb, but it wasn't helping much.

"Relax," Peeta whispered, tilting his head lower so that it almost looked as though he was giving her neck a kiss. "This isn't real, Katniss. None of this is real."

And that's what Katniss chanted in her head until their turn was called. _Not real. Not real. Not real._

When their name was called, Katniss and Peeta stood together. Katniss was trembling slightly so she took a deep breath to calm herself.

"Oh, wait," Peeta said hastily. "I almost forgot." He dug around in his pocket for a second before producing a small silver comb with flower carvings etched on the brim. "I know these aren't primroses," he began, almost as though he was embarrassed by the fact, "but I got this for you thinking that it would remind you of her anyway. I guess Cinna and I both had the same idea." He smiled shyly as he looked expectantly at Katniss.

Katniss nodded her head and felt her heart warm as Peeta slipped the decorative comb into her hair just above the place where it was knotted in the back. Not able to think of anything else to do, Katniss stood on tiptoes to kiss Peeta on the cheek. Peeta's entire face all the way to the tips of his ears turned bright red. For some reason that made Katniss feel better.

"Come on," Katniss trilled. "Lets get married."

The ceremony went by in a blur for both Katniss and Peeta. The only things either could remember was the incessant cough of the wizened minister, the overly pleased smiles of Cinna and Portia as they sat witnessing, and the other's gaze and how it never strayed for a second.

Before they knew it, the wheezy voice of the minister instructed, "You may now kiss the bride."

Katniss blinked, looking startled. How had she managed to get through the entire ceremony without realizing it? Did she even say the vows correctly? And somehow, throughout her entire fit about getting married, she forgot that she would have to kiss Peeta at the end of it. She was glad that she had forgotten until this moment because she was sure she wouldn't have been able to survive if she had realized. She and Peeta had never kissed before. Not once in their long years of friendship. Not even once by accident when they were drunk. How were they going to do this?

Peeta, on the other hand, had realized that he was going to have to kiss Katniss. He had thought about it a lot. At first, he was hesitant about it. He was sure this would be something Katniss would blow way out of proportion. But it was just a kiss, right? A kiss that didn't even mean anything because they were being forced into it. So Peeta planned to keep it as platonic as possible. Just a soft, short kiss that would last a few seconds to get the job done. However, he didn't anticipate his body's reaction.

When Peeta heard the minister speak, he cautiously took Katniss's hands in his own, begging her with his eyes not to make this more difficult than it had to be. Slowly, he tilted his head forward, glancing down to Katniss's lips only once before making contact. At first, it was that sweet kiss that Peeta had anticipated. But at that small contact, something shut off in Peeta's mind and he lost control. His eyes slid shut. A small burning raged in the pit on his stomach, setting his veins alight. And Katniss wasn't helping to control the fire.

They had dropped each other's hands and had taken an unconscious step closer so that the lengths of their bodies were pressed against one another. Peeta's arm looped tightly around Katniss's small back, the other one snaking its way up to get tangled in her silky hair. Katniss's hands grasped the back of his neck, dragging him closer so that Peeta's body was arched over hers. Timidly, Peeta poked his tongue through his lips to tease Katniss's. Katniss opened her mouth with a groan and suddenly their two tongues were dancing around each other in a perfect twist.

They didn't pull apart until the minister gave another loud cough, though this one was clearly done on purpose. Katniss and Peeta took a step away from each other immediately, no longer able to look one another in the eye. Cinna and Portia were watching the couple with eyebrows raised, clearly seeing something that they hadn't expected. The minister just shook his head ironically, muttering something about "every single time."

Peeta's brain had completely shut off at this point. He could do little more than stand there and catch his breath. Katniss's, though, was going into overdrive. She was in a panic attack about what just happened, her body still buzzing with the adrenaline. She had never had a kiss anything like that before in her life. She glanced at Peeta who was still in a daze. Never.

The minister cleared his throat making both Katniss and Peeta jump. "Mr. and Mrs. Mellark, you can go now."

"Right." Peeta shook his head, grabbing Katniss and tearing off down the carpeted aisle. Katniss and Peeta left the chapel in virtual silence, now both with the same last name and both thinking about a kiss that they had immensely enjoyed but wished they didn't.

**Author's Notes: So what do you think? The characters don't seem too OOC, do they? I hope not. I'm trying my best to keep them in character.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

A reluctance to return to their room alone found Katniss and Peeta standing at a blackjack table in the hotel's casino. Well, to be more precise, Peeta was standing at a blackjack table. Katniss was leaning against a pillar nearby, every few minutes running her hand down to the ring on her finger and spinning it around the digit. She couldn't get used to it. The metal had burned into her skin and left her feeling disorderly and conflicted. She glanced at Peeta who was playing with the small stack of poker chips in his hand. As his arm moved up, his own ring caught the light and it flashed into Katniss's retinas. She gulped and looked away, her fingers quickly finding purchase on her band again and twisting profusely.

"You'd have more fun if you were standing over here," Peeta called out to her, not bothering to turn around.

"I'm doing fine from where I'm standing, thank you," Katniss replied.

Peeta sighed and dropped his head into his hands. He waited for the last card to be flipped before gathering his winnings and walking over to Katniss. There was this unwanted tension between them that was never there before. It tightened their words and frayed their nerves so that they were extraordinarily sensitive to each other's movements. Peeta stopped several feet in front of her and Katniss didn't fail to see the extra distance he left between them.

"Are you going to be like this from now on?"

"Be like what?" Katniss asked defensively.

"All moody and fidgety and shit." Peeta's eyes slid down to Katniss's ring finger where she was once again toying with her wedding ring. "You need to relax."

Katniss let out a puff of air and placed her hands firmly on her hips. "Excuse me?"

Peeta nodded enthusiastically at her as though she finally did something right. "There you go. I've seen my mom do that a million times. Now you're starting to look like a wife."

Katniss was in no mood to laugh. All she wanted to do was to pout and sulk and fret over what had transpired in that chapel. She was annoyed that Peeta could force chuckles to bubble in her chest despite all of that. She was able to contain them, though. "Shut up, Peeta."

"Yup. You've got this wife thing down pat," Peeta smiled as Katniss rolled her eyes. "Seriously though, there are better ways to spend your wedding night than brooding in the corner."

Katniss couldn't meet his eyes as her face flushed. His words seemed awfully suggestive to her. She was sure if this were any other marriage, they'd be spending their wedding night in the bedroom. "What – " she cleared her throat once, "what did you have in mind?"

Peeta was either unaware of Katniss's discomfort or chose to ignore it. "You could try winning some money. We are in Vegas, you know."

"I don't gamble," Katniss said timidly.

"You _haven't_ gambled," Peeta corrected, "because you've never been old enough before. Well now you are. So come on."

He led her over to a nearby slot machine and shoved her in front of him, sliding a few bills into the jaws of the device. The behemoth came to life before them, blinking lights in their faces and pinging sounds in their ears.

"So what do I do?" Katniss asked reluctantly, extremely aware of how his body was pressed against her back, leaving her no escape routes.

Peeta rested his chin on her shoulder so he could reach around her to the machine. His warm breath fell in waves on Katniss's skin as he handed out instructions. Katniss had trouble focusing and felt a distinct lack of oxygen. She wondered when she started having trouble standing so near to Peeta.

"So just choose the amount of money you want to bet and you'll be ready to go," Peeta concluded, brushing her hair to her opposite shoulder so he could see her face.

Katniss bit her lip and stabbed at the button registering the least amount of money. It wasn't like her to take risks. All of her decisions in life were carefully calculated. She glanced at Peeta once to see if he had any further comments. He just smirked and ran his hand down her arm, streaking her skin with goose bumps. Weaving his fingers between her own, he guided her to the lever of the machine.

"Ready?" he whispered delicately.

Katniss nodded, unable to take her eyes off of the two wedding rings that stood out as halos on their finger. With an over exaggerated tug, they pulled down the handle together causing the dials to spin at an incredible speed. The three wheels stopped one at a time, each landing on the same picture. There was a whirring of whistles and each picture danced in different colored lights.

Katniss couldn't help the smile that appeared on her face as the numbers ticked up counting her winnings. Without thinking, she spun around and threw her arms around Peeta's neck, squeezing tightly. "I won!"

To Katniss's surprise, Peeta slid out of her grasp quickly and sidestepped to the adjacent slot machine. "Yeah. Congrats, Kat."

Katniss raised her eyebrows, but said nothing. Instead she turned back to her machine. "Why isn't it giving me my money?" she pouted.

At that Peeta laughed, leaning over to press some button. A slip of paper shot out from the slot, the amount of money she won written in bold. "They don't really do the raining quarters thing anymore," Peeta told her.

Katniss thought that it took some of the fun out of it. She folded the piece of paper and slipped it carefully into her back pocket nonetheless.

An hour later, they were leaving the casino, both famished and in dire need of some food. While their hotel room still felt daunting to both of them, that was their current destination. Peeta had wanted to eat in a restaurant, but Katniss needed to change out of the heels she was wearing. She thought Peeta should have been grateful that she hadn't complained before then. She was not a heels type of girl. Honestly, she wanted nothing more than to burrow into pajamas and order room service.

"I still don't see why we can't go out to eat after you change your shoes," Peeta grumbled as they stepped into the elevator. "We could use your winnings to pay for it."

"You're just jealous you didn't win anything," Katniss teased, not looking up from counting the crisp bills in her hand.

Peeta snorted. "And if you bet real money you'd be walking away with a lot more than one hundred dollars."

"It's a hundred more than you got."

The elevator chimed as the doors seamlessly slid open to reveal their floor. The pair exited and headed straight to their room, Peeta capturing the key as they walked. He unlocked the door. Before either had a chance to move, in a moment of pure insanity, Peeta bent down and swept Katniss right off her feet, securing her in his arms. She let out a high pitch squeal of surprise as he stepped over the threshold. He barely made it through the door before he was smacked in the face, the force of which caused him to drop her. Katniss landed effortlessly on her feet and immediately took a step away from Peeta.

"What was that for?" Peeta asked, rubbing the spot where she had hit him.  
"What the hell was _that_ for?" Katniss demanded, motioning her arm towards the door.

Peeta shrugged, toeing off his shoes and shrugging out of his overly warm jacket. "Tradition."

"Tradition?" Katniss asked incredulously.

Peeta nodded, unsure what Katniss wanted him to say. He really had no idea why he did it. It was just instinct or reflex or…something. He was also naïve in thinking that would be the end of their conversation.

Katniss rounded on him with fire in her eyes. "Just what the hell do you think you're doing, Peeta?"

"I – "

"_Tradition?_ Are you kidding me?" Katniss yelled. "This marriage isn't fucking real, so stop treating it as if it is!"

"I'm not."

"You are, Peeta!" Katniss began pacing back and forth on the small floor space the room provided. "And it's really starting to freak me out. You promised nothing would change when we got married, but it did! And now I feel as though you have certain…_expectations _and I'm not going to live up to them."

Peeta threw himself down onto his bed, covering his eyes with his forearm. He was trying his very best to ignore the fact that they were alone in a hotel room on their wedding night and in society's eyes there was nothing prohibiting them from having sex. It was harder to do when Katniss wanted to actually discuss it. "I promise you I have no agenda," Peeta mumbled before sitting up to face her. "And if it makes you feel any better, I'm not attracted to you."

Katniss snorted, actually halting in her attempt to carve treads into the floor. "And that wasn't you who kissed me in the chapel earlier today."

"I was doing what I was _told_, Katniss," Peeta retorted. "That was part of the deal we signed up for."

"And shoving your tongue into my mouth was part of the arrangement too?" Katniss ask skeptically.

"At least I wasn't the one moaning."

"I did not moan," Katniss disagreed in an offended tone.

"I have the DVD right here," Peeta said, sliding the aforementioned item out of his pocket. "We could watch it right now if you want to see for yourself."

Katniss's eyes zeroed in on the affronting object and before Peeta had a chance to react, she shot herself at him like a torpedo. Her body cut through the air and knocked Peeta backwards onto the mattress. They rolled over one another, each trying their best to get the upper hand. Katniss clawed at Peeta's pale skin, leaving scratches that Prim's cat, Buttercup, would be proud of. "Give me that DVD!"

"No way!" Peeta argued, still keeping the cheap plastic case out of Katniss's grasp.

"We have to burn it," Katniss snarled through clenched teeth.

They continued to wrestle, their limbs knotting together in a labyrinth. Peeta tried to disregard the sight of his wife looming over him and the urge to do something about it. He cursed every hormone in his body and was embarrassed that he had turned into a typical male. This had _never _been a problem with Katniss before. He immensely disliked that it suddenly was.

The DVD had somehow become lost during their struggle. Without that hindrance, Peeta was finally able to reel Katniss in, flipping her over and pressing her shoulders into the bed. The mattress curled up and enveloped her body. Katniss let out a defeated sigh and gazed up at Peeta through her steely eyes. "Get off of me, Peeta."

"No." Peeta was starting to have a little bit too much fun. Katniss was right. Something had changed between them and though he couldn't define it, Peeta was struggling to fight it. Without thinking, Peeta moved one hand from her shoulder and dragged it gently down the side of her body. As his fingers brushed past her ribcage, Katniss yelped, twisting her body away in an awkward position. She let out a strangled laugh.

"Stop, Peeta. That tickles."

Peeta's eyes lit up as he smirked at her. His fingers danced along her sides and Katniss squirmed beneath him, trying unsuccessfully to deaden her laughter. After much exertion, Katniss managed to shove Peeta off of her, breathing heavily from choking down her giggles.

"Stop making me laugh," she told him. "This isn't a joking matter."

Peeta's face suddenly became serious, his eyes deepening as though they obtained great wisdom. "Yes it is, Katniss," he said quietly, making sure to hold her stare. "We are all each other has right now. We need to be able to joke, make fun, _laugh_ about this. Otherwise, the tension might kill us."

Katniss averted her eyes. Though she hated to admit it, she knew Peeta was right. It had only been several hours since their wedding and she was already having a mental breakdown from the strain in their relationship. She knew she had to stop taking everything so seriously, but she was secretly afraid of what might happen between them if she took her guard down. Everything was too complicated as it was. She needed to keep strict lines in order for them to smoothly navigate this marriage and get a quick divorce. If they played their cards right, they might even be able to get it annulled.

"Come on," Peeta said, pulling Katniss away from her thoughts. "Lets order dinner. And don't skimp on anything. Tonight's on the U.S. government."

Peeta grabbed Katniss's arm and heaved her over to the telephone sitting on the table. They had a great time ordering practically the entire room service menu, laughing about how shocked the waiter would be when he arrived to find only two people waiting on the other side of the door for all that food. Half an hour later, when their food did arrive, they were surprised to see a bottle of champagne mixed in with the other amenities. A card told them the bottle was from Cinna and Portia congratulating them on their marriage. Instead of allowing that to bring up another unpleasant conversation, they popped open the champagne and poured greedy amounts into their glasses. They finished the entire bottle before they even began on the food.

"This is great," Katniss mumbled through a mouthful of meat. "You need to try it."

"I know what a cheeseburger tastes like," Peeta laughed, popping a french fry into his mouth.

"Yeah, but this one is _really_ good," Katniss insisted, waving the bun in front of his face.

Peeta took a bite to placate her, but rolled his eyes at her predictability. "There are a million plates in front of you now: linguini, lamb stew, steak! And you're just sticking with your burger."

"The lamb stew was good, I'll give you that," Katniss said, "but you can't go wrong with the classics." Then she took another bite as if to demonstrate her meaning.

It wasn't long before the two of them were completely full, stuffed as if they were turkeys on Thanksgiving. Instead of settling down for the night, they opened a deck of cards and started on the bottle of wine they had ordered for themselves. They played game after game of Chinese spit, Katniss winning them all. That was to be expected. She had much faster reflexes. And Peeta was also distracted. Every few minutes he would look up and stare at Katniss as she concentrated, her hands moving rapidly between the various piles of playing cards. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out why this felt different to the millions of other times he had done the exact same thing with Katniss. He wanted to attribute it to their alcohol consumption, but he had been drunk with Katniss in the past. His mind kept rewinding and pausing on their kiss. Their first kiss. And probably the only kiss they'll ever share. The thought made Peeta bitter. He was unable to deny that he had enjoyed that kiss, probably too much. It had felt different than anything he had experienced before. Was that just because they were married? Was that the reason that kiss caused a shock to his system? Because that kiss literally meant something? It made them husband and wife.

"I won!" Katniss squealed, slapping her hand on the vacant pile. "You really do suck at this game, Peeta."

She smiled at him and the expression literally took Peeta's breath away. His heart jumped and he had a tingling feeling in his chest that made him giddy. Shit. Peeta had had this feeling before, but never this intense. Now he knew what was different between them. He liked Katniss. As in more than a friend, _liked_ Katniss. He was in a boatload of trouble now. He could not be crushing on his not-so-fake wife.

"Peeta, are you okay?"

"Hm?" Peeta shook his head in order to focus on what Katniss was saying. His newfound realization was strangling him. It was suddenly hard to breath with her sitting so close to him. But he couldn't find the will to move away. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why don't you take some pity on me and put on a movie or something?"

"Okay." Katniss reached for the remote and scanned the movies available for purchase. Peeta didn't pay attention to which one she chose. He was focusing on creating a plan to get through the night and the rest of their marriage. Having real feelings for Katniss screwed everything up and he vowed to never let her find out. He prayed that these sentiments were just residual emotions from the kiss, but if he was being honest with himself, he knew they weren't. This had been building up in him for a while now. This kiss had just brought it all to the forefront.

Three hours later, at nearly 3 AM, Katniss woke up lying on something hard and warm. The skin of her cheek told her it was fabric, but it occasionally jolted. She was still facing the TV as she had hours before and decided she must have fallen asleep during the movie. As her mind fought its way through the realms of sleep, her eyes shot open.

She was lying on the floor with her head in Peeta's lap, his fingers tangled deeply in her hair. His body was propped up against the bed, his head tilted back in an uncomfortable position. His rhythmic breathing let Katniss know that he was still asleep. She squirmed slightly, causing Peeta to tighten his hold on her and push her further into his lap. His reaction made Katniss jerk up into a sitting position, waking Peeta in the process.

"What?" he said groggily.

Katniss refused to respond. Instead, she bolted to the bathroom in rage, slamming the door behind her. The walls quaked from the force of the action.

Unaware of what was happening, Peeta stumbled after her, rubbing the sleep away from his eyes.

"Are you going to tell me what's pissed you off or am I going to have to guess?" Peeta yelled through the door.

The door opened a crack to reveal one of Katniss's eyes and a sliver of her cheek. "I woke up with my head in your lap." Her cheeks reddened with her words.

Peeta paused, unsure of the problem. "Congratulations?"

Katniss's eye hardened and she slammed the door again. Clearly Peeta wasn't being sensitive enough, but they were going to have major issues if something as stupid as falling asleep in his lap was going to upset her this much. Peeta tried not to think about his recent revelation and focused on the problem at hand.

"Sorry. Sorry!" Peeta talked to the door. "But what's the big deal about that?"

The door reopened to the same partial sight of Katniss's face. "Your fingers were playing with my hair and…your…lap…"

"Katniss…?" Peeta pressed.

"Your _lap_ was _hard_!" she shouted and slammed the door once more in Peeta's face.

**Author's Notes: I want to thank all my amazing readers, especially those who have reviewed. It means so much. It's the reason I share my work instead of hoarding it for myself. More to come.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Silence. That was all that was heard in the car ride from Las Vegas to Utah. That was all Peeta had heard for the past four days and it was driving him insane. Katniss had stormed out of the bathroom that night, not even sparing a second glance his way, and buried herself underneath the blankets on her bed. She didn't emerge until late the next morning when Peeta was in the shower. Every attempt to talk to her since then had been met with scornful glares and clipped monosyllable answers.

Honestly, Peeta was starting to get pissed off. Surely, this particular physical…lapse…didn't warrant such an extreme response. After all, for all she knew, he was dreaming about some other chick and she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. He definitely wasn't, not after his revelation the night before, but she didn't _know_ that.

Peeta knew that Katniss was very innocent when it came to the opposite sex so he was trying his best to be sensitive to her embarrassment and inexperience, but his patience was wearing thin. They had been best friends for so many years and he never once got hard in front of her. At least that she knew of. Didn't he deserve _one _free pass? The worst part about the entire situation was that, with his newfound feelings for her, Peeta's chest ached each and every time Katniss refused to meet his gaze or brushed off his attempts to apologize.

Currently, Katniss was sitting in the passenger seat, feet propped up against the dashboard, and ear buds pressed into her ears with her iPod perched on her lap. The volume was turned so loud that even Peeta could feel the reverberations. Peeta clenched the steering wheel and let out a growl, knowing full well that Katniss couldn't hear him. He was seriously contemplating pulling the car over and refusing to drive further until Katniss agreed to speak to him, but he knew that would upset Cinna and Portia and they would scold him for ruining their time table that, all of a sudden, they were anxious to keep. So instead, Peeta sighed, glancing up at the GPS, which told him there were 3 hours left until they reached their destination. 3 hours that couldn't pass quickly enough.

When they did arrive, Peeta parked their car in front of a small and decrepit looking apartment building. He had to shake Katniss out of the trance she seemed to be in, nodding his head towards the building when he finally got her attention. Katniss didn't reply and vacated the car without a word. Peeta huffed and followed quickly after her to where Cinna and Portia stood waiting at the building's entrance.

They led them through an almost nonexistent lobby and straight to the elevator, which was little and dark and groaned slightly when it started to move. Cinna didn't even pause when the doors opened on the third floor. He marched directly to a door on their right hand side and handed Peeta a key.

"Go ahead. It's your home now," he said quietly with a slight smile.

Peeta glanced once more at Katniss, who was chewing on her bottom lip, before swinging the door open. He hesitantly stepped into the room. The apartment wasn't very big. It was a studio with a tiny kitchen off to the left that was opened to the rest of the space. In the "living room" there was a small round table made of dark wood with two chairs that sat adjacent to an equally small, beige couch. The bed faced away from all of this, separated only by the dark wooden paneling that made up the headboard. Peeta, however, was much more surprised to find that the apartment wasn't empty.

"Haymitch?"

Haymitch was lounging on the couch, looking aggravated and extremely tense. He stood up when Peeta spoke his name, turning to face the newlyweds and their bodyguards.

"What are you doing here?" Peeta asked.

Haymitch narrowed his eyes at him. "I'm sorry," he said, sarcastically. "I didn't mean to intrude. Didn't know I needed an invite to this housewarming party."

"No, I didn't mean – " Peeta muttered, embarrassed. "Cinna and Portia didn't say anything about you being here."

"Yeah, well, things change."

"Change? What's changed – "

"Haymitch? Who are you talking to?" A high-pitched voice cut off Peeta's inquiry. Both Katniss and Peeta turned toward the source of the noise. A thin woman was exiting the bathroom, obviously bleached blonde hair perched high on her head. She had fake nails and wore too much make up, though Peeta thought that underneath all of that she might be pretty.

The woman seemed to have noticed Katniss and Peeta now, her eyes zeroing in on them as she approached, her high-heeled shoes clacking on the floor. "Mrs. And Mr. Mellark – " Both Katniss and Peeta cringed slightly. " – Thank heavens you two have made it here safe. I was getting worried. You were supposed to arrive half an hour ago!" She turned stern eyes onto Cinna and Portia. "What took so long?"

"Who the hell are you?" Katniss suddenly burst. It was the most Peeta had heard her say in a long time.

The woman pursed her lips at Katniss's tone, but answered her nonetheless. "Oh, yes. Where are my manners? I'm Agent Effie Trinket. But you can call me Effie."

"Agent?" Peeta raised his eyebrows at Haymitch who grimaced in reply.

"Didn't Haymitch tell you?" Effie asked, her eyes widening in disbelief. "I'm his partner!"

Katniss let out a derisive laugh. "I didn't know you had a partner."

"I didn't," Haymitch grunted, clearly displeased as to where the conversation had headed.

"And you still wouldn't if you hadn't let your personal _habits_ get in the way of doing your job properly," said Effie in a patronizing tone.

"Now listen here, Perky. I've been doing this job for almost twenty-five years just fine. I don't need to be babysitting some newbie with a desperate need to prove herself."

"Babysitting? Please. I've been in the Bureau almost as long as you."

"Pushing papers, sweetheart. You weren't exactly getting your hands dirty. Spend a couple years in the field and you might have a few of your own _habits_ to go along with mine."

Katniss and Peeta exchanged a look before Katniss remembered she still wasn't talking to Peeta.

"The director thought my organizational and managerial skills would help overcome your issues with alcohol that often result in carelessness and a lack of attention to detail. You're lucky to have me around. Perhaps then we can avoid making further mistakes."

"Mistakes?" Peeta cut in. "What is she talking about, Haymitch?"

"Yes, Haymitch," Effie trilled. "Please share for all of us who don't know. What is it like getting your hands dirty?"

"I was off the clock," Haymitch growled.

"This job is 24/7. Or is that not the first thing you say at the beginning of your little training sessions for new agents each year?" Effie mocked.

"What is she talking about, Haymitch?" Peeta tried again, his tone firm.

Haymitch sighed and plopped back onto the couch, running his hand up to the bridge of his nose. "I made a mistake," he said after a long pause. "A few days after you left, I went to a bar after work to take a load off with my buddy, Chaff."

Effie let out a disapproving huff.

Haymitch glared at her, but continued his story. "Now, Chaff, he's a good guy. Only a few years older than me and is in the Bureau too, though he stopped working the field after he lost his arm a few years back. We drink together sometimes and he likes to hear about my assignments. Nostalgic for the old days when he was out there with me. So I was telling him a bit about your case." Haymitch looked back and forth between Katniss and Peeta. "Turns out, one of Snow's men was in the bar that night. Overheard some stuff."

"What?" Peeta snarled. Katniss remained silent, but all color drained from her face. Peeta really wanted to reach out and take hold of her hand, but restrained himself. He knew Katniss would only misconstrue the gesture.

"We're positive that he didn't hear much that they didn't know already," Haymitch continued quickly. "I was mostly giving Chaff the background information about Everdeen's father and whatnot. But he also heard about your trip to Vegas."

Peeta was angry. No, he was irate. His fists clenched and unclenched until he snapped and grabbed the closest thing he could find, which happened to be an old telephone book, and hurled it across the room. It smacked hard against the wall and fell face down, its spine cracked open. Effie made a startled, "Peeta!" but Haymitch didn't even flinch. Peeta rounded on him.

"What the hell are you doing?" he shouted. "This isn't a game! You're toying with people's lives here. You're toying with my wife's _life_!"

Katniss felt a chill run through her as she heard Peeta call her his wife and she saw Haymitch's eyes widen perceptibly. She had never seen Peeta like this before, all angry and protective over her. And although his behavior was scaring the crap out of her, there was some part inside that liked it.

"You're putting her in danger."

"It's not like that."

"It's exactly like that!" Peeta roared. "So what? Do they know this marriage is fake? Is all that protection gone? Do they know where we are?"

"No, Peeta," Effie said, taking a step forward to rest a hand gently on his shoulder. "We're almost positive that none of those things have happened. Luckily, we have a man on the inside and he informed us straight away when he learned that Snow knew of our plan to take you through Vegas. He doesn't know that the marriage isn't based off true feelings. And we strongly believe we got you out of there before Snow was able to locate you and track you here."

"Portia and I were constantly watching," Cinna chimed in. "We didn't notice anything suspicious and there was no car following us during the drive."

"Okay, Peeta?" Effie said in a soothing and almost motherly voice. "Katniss is safe. No harm done."

Peeta took a deep breath, calming himself. He couldn't help but look at Katniss after he caught his breath. She was still pale and slightly shaken, but held his gaze. The first time in days. Almost in relief, Peeta reached out and tugged Katniss into his body, wrapping his large and strong arms around her thin frame. "I'm sorry," he whispered into her hair.

Katniss wasn't sure whether he was apologizing for his recent outburst or the one he had a few days ago, but felt as though it didn't matter. She felt guilty about ignoring him these past few days. She saw the stress it was putting on Peeta. "It's okay," she whispered back as he pulled away.

"And now that we're done with all this mushy crap," Haymitch said, acting as though nothing had happened, "it's time to get you up to speed on what's going to happen from now on."

Peeta nodded. He was still angry with Haymitch, but he was willing to listen.

"From here on out, you won't be seeing most of us, unless there's something important that has happened that we need to tell you face to face. You'll get a panic button that you better not touch unless it's a goddamn emergency, but remember, you are being watched 24/7. If all works out, you won't even see the team following you, but they will be there. You just go about living life as normal as possible.

"You'll get an allowance on a biweekly basis. Live off that. Don't get a job. If you are in terrible need of money, let me know. I'll give you a secure line you can reach me on, but we are on a budget as you can probably tell from this lovely abode. Though, honestly, we didn't want anything too conspicuous.

"And I can't stress how important it is to act like a married couple outside these walls. If we can learn anything from my mishap, it's that Snow's men can be anywhere. Don't give them a reason to suspect this marriage is fake. Do whatever the hell you want inside this apartment, but in public, you two are in love and you better goddamn show it.

"Now, unless Effie has something more she'd like to add…" Effie shook her head. "I guess we'll leave you two lovebirds alone."

It took a little while to actually get the agents out of the apartment as Effie wanted to double check all of the security measures she put in place, but eventually they did leave (Cinna giving Katniss a hug on his way out the door) and Katniss and Peeta were left alone. Things were still slightly awkward between them so Peeta let out a sigh of relief when Katniss was the first to speak.

"So Haymitch and Effie have an interesting relationship."

Peeta guffawed. "I think she's the perfect person to keep him in check."

"Do you really think we're safe here?" Katniss asked timidly.

Peeta looked at her with a sad smile. "I don't think we'd be safer anyplace else."

Katniss nodded before opening her mouth wide in an extended yawn.

Peeta pushed a loose tendril of hair out of her eyes. "It's been a long day. Why don't we go to bed?"

Katniss shrugged her shoulders while taking a step forward, only to pause a foot in front of him. "Uh, Peeta…"

"Yeah?"

"Slight problem," Katniss said, looking back over her shoulder. "There's only one bed."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

The bed issue didn't turn out to be much of a problem. Peeta immediately conceded the bed to Katniss and she accepted with surprisingly little fight. Both were thinking back to the incident in the hotel room and felt safer going their separate ways, though Katniss did feel slightly guilty when she heard him toss and turn in the middle of the night. And that is how they remained until a week before classes started: Katniss curled into a ball on the mattress and Peeta extended on the much too small sofa, knees hooked over one arm of the couch.

The whole "living together" thing was easy as well, although they had a lot of practice from all those nights Peeta would bunk out in Katniss's apartment. To put it simply, Peeta was in charge of the cooking while Katniss did all the cleaning, both appreciative for their roommate's skill in the respective areas. Katniss would rave over Peeta's chocolate peanut-butter cupcakes while Peeta sheepishly admitted he never cleaned a toilet before in his life.

In the few weeks that passed, Katniss and Peeta had returned to their old status quo, their friendship falling smoothly back into place. Everything was so easy again, so normal, that Peeta started to question his crush on Katniss, choosing to believe it was a spur of the moment feeling that had evaporated as quickly as it came on. However, he still wasn't confident enough to request a spot on the bed. Overall, it was just nice to laugh with each other again, to forget all the nuisance and danger and just have a little bit of fun.

They were brave enough to leave their apartment and had spent their free time scoping out the neighboring area, writing down the location of things that they might need later, such as the grocery store and the locally owned deli. Today, they were on their way to the campus bookstore. Haymitch had informed them that the FBI had enrolled them in classes, but that they were responsible for buying their textbooks. Luckily, the bookstore had an off-campus location that was only a five-minute walk from their apartment (the FBI took the car back claiming that it was an unnecessary high risk).

"I hate buying textbooks," Katniss complained, as she walked through the door Peeta was holding open for her. "They are so damn expensive."

"Agreed," Peeta said, trotting along behind her while glancing around the store. It was a fairly simple layout. The store consisted of two floors, the top containing clothing with the university's logo and various school supplies such as pencils and calculators while the bottom floor was dedicated solely to books. "You know which books you need?"

"Yup," Katniss said, waving her list in front of his face. They turned a corner and were faced with rows upon rows of heavy textbooks. "But damn, they're going to be hard to find. It's like a library in here and I was never good at the Dewey Decimal System."

Peeta chuckled and handed her a basket in which she could carry her books. "Then lets split up. I'll get my books and meet you at the cash register."

Katniss wasn't listening, barely nodding her head while staring at her list and wondering off down one of the rows. After a couple of turns, she quickly wished she were taller. The bookcases towered over her, making her feel slightly claustrophobic. The store had tried to set up some sort of alphabetical organization, but it snaked along with the rows, confusing Katniss's sense of direction. And the room seemed endless, stretching out for eternity at every turn. Katniss looked at her list once more before huffing in frustration.

She heard a small chortle off to her right and spun quickly in that direction, coming face to face with a tall, well-built, bronze haired guy in dark wash jeans and a polo shirt. Katniss had to do a double take. The boy was perfectly coiffed and looked like he came straight from an Abercrombie catalogue. "Do you think my frustration is funny?" she demanded.

"No," the boy said, smiling to reveal a set of perfectly straight and white teeth, a dimple just appearing above the corner of his mouth. "I'm sorry. Do you need any help?"

"I'm fine, thanks," Katniss said, blushing slightly and looking away. "I don't need you to feel bad for me."

"No," the boy laughed again, taking a step closer. "I work here so helping you is kind of my job."

He pointed toward his shirt where Katniss just noticed the small logo that was plastered on the outside awning stitched along his left breast. Katniss felt her cheeks flooding with warmth again. "Sorry," she muttered. "It's just this place is like a freaking maze."

"It's okay," the boy said. "I surprisingly get that a lot. I'm Finnick, by the way. Finnick Odair." He stuck out his hand.

"Katniss Mellark," Katniss said, fully aware that this was the first time she was introducing herself as such. She grabbed Finnick's hand gently, unable to break eye contact with his sea green eyes. Finnick smirked when he noticed this.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Katniss. How about I take a look at your list?"

Meanwhile, Peeta was having no issues finding his textbooks for his classes. Luckily for him, each book was located in the same row, so he didn't need to travel anywhere. After placing his final book in his basket, he decided to search for Katniss and see if she needed any help. That's what any good husband would do, right? So Peeta hurried off down the aisle he saw Katniss had turned earlier.

It didn't take long to find her. Peeta barely had to look around the edge of the bookshelf to spot her by the biology textbooks. But she wasn't alone. Peeta froze as he took in the sight of his wife _laughing_ at something some puffed up pretty boy had said, tossing her braid over her shoulder as she did so. And judging by that all too charming smile on the guy's face, he was clearly enjoying what he saw. Peeta's jaw clenched as he stood there glaring at the pair, unsure of what was happening and what to do. All he knew was that he had to get that boy away from Katniss as quickly as possible. Katniss was _his _and he wasn't willing to share, especially with some slicked back frat boy who thought he was the shit. He watched as the boy's eyes dipped to the low cut shirt Katniss wore and Peeta swore her pants had gotten tighter since the morning. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Peeta recognized that the wall he had rebuilt to hide his feelings for Katniss had shattered to pieces once again, but he honestly couldn't care less. The longer he stood there staring, the more his blood boiled, his vision blurring slightly at the edges. When Katniss touched the stranger's arm with a playful shove, Peeta's body took action, marching over to the pair that was, in his opinion, standing much too close to one another.

"Hey, babe," Peeta said, blurting out the first thing he thought of when he reached Katniss's side, interrupting whatever the jackass was saying. Katniss's eyes widened at his voice, her head swinging quickly in his direction, looking somewhat startled. That was not the right response to get this guy to back off, so Peeta decided to take it one step farther. Before he could second-guess himself, Peeta grabbed the back of Katniss's head with his free hand, bringing his face towards hers and crashing their lips together. Katniss gasped and Peeta took the opportunity to slide his tongue into her mouth, tilting his head further to deepen the kiss. It was the same feeling he got from their first kiss. All heat and desire and electricity bubbling out from the center of his chest. But Peeta was all too aware of the guy standing behind him so he broke away long before he wanted to, turning to face the nameless boy while sliding his arm around Katniss's waist.

To Peeta's chagrin, the boy was still grinning, as though Peeta was just some insignificant speck that he just needed to flick away before he had Katniss all too himself. "Well, Miss Mellark," the boy started and Peeta tried to suppress the smile he got from learning that Katniss had used his name, "you didn't mention you had a boyfriend."

"Husband, actually," Peeta smirked, flashing his ring. "So that's _Mrs._ Mellark to you."

_That_ finally wiped the grin off the guy's face and Peeta watched with pleasure as the guy's eyes flitted down to Katniss's ring finger, widening when he saw the band. Peeta felt a sense of pride when he saw the ring himself.

"Look at that, Kitty Kat. I didn't know you were house trained."

Katniss still hadn't recovered from the kiss, staring blatantly at Peeta, red in the face, but Peeta growled lowly at the statement. "Don't talk to my wife like that."

The boy put his hands up in defense, taking a small step back. "I'll leave you two to it then," he said, flashing one more smile. "Just don't get too frisky. Remember, you're still in a public place. But please," he looked once more at Katniss, "call me if you need anything more, Kitty Kat."

Peeta glared until the boy's back disappeared behind one of the shelves, finally relaxing when his heel disappeared from sight. He let his shoulders fall as he turned to look at Katniss, who seemed anything but pleased. Her patented scowl was on her face, cheeks flushed, and eyes narrowed. She tore herself out of Peeta's grip and sped off toward the cash registers. Peeta sighed heavily and followed behind in her wake.

They didn't say anything to each other as they paid for their books and headed outside. Once there, however, Katniss yanked Peeta into a nearby ally, pulling him deep within the shadows between the two buildings.

"Ow! Katniss!" Peeta said, massaging his wrist after Katniss released him.

"Are you crazy?" Katniss asked, spinning on her heels to face him.

"Are you?"

"Just stop with the whole caveman act," Katniss said. She still couldn't believe what Peeta did in there. It was so immature and out of line. She didn't know what came over him to be so territorial about her. She had never seen him do anything like that, not even with his past girlfriends. "Are you trying to draw attention to us?"

"You got to be kidding me right now," Peeta said, his mouth open in disbelief. "You're mad at me? That guy was all over you!"

"Finnick was just being nice."

Peeta snorted. "He called you Kitty Kat."

"Besides," Katniss stressed, "even if he was, I can take care of myself. I don't need you to stand there measuring your dick just to prove a point. We're trying to blend in, Peeta."

"Blend in?" Peeta was incredulous. "It would have been stranger if I had done nothing! I'm your husband. I'm supposed to be protective."

"Well, you didn't have to kiss me."

Peeta took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. Katniss's last statement burned, but Peeta was determined to get through to her. "I don't think you understand what's going on here, Katniss. If anyone brought unwanted attention to us, it was you."

Katniss opened her mouth to argue, but Peeta held his hand up and continued on forcibly.

"Your safety, hell, my safety is dependent upon us being in _love_. If you were in love with me, Kat, you wouldn't stare, mouth hanging wide open, when I call you something as simple as _babe_. And you especially wouldn't avoid a kiss as though my tongue was laced with cyanide."

"Peeta – "

"I don't want to hear it. You know, I didn't appreciate you flirting in there and don't say you weren't. I'm not stupid. I know what flirting looks like. I'd just like to think that after all the shit we've been through to get here, you'd put a little more effort into keeping up our cover. I'm here because of you, Kat. It's a goddamn mess, but I don't regret it. Not for one second. You know I'd give up anything for you."

"Peeta – "

"So don't yell at me for doing what any red-blooded male would do when he sees his _wife_ talking to another guy like that, especially when the guy looks like how that guy looked. I'm not sorry I kissed you. And you better get used to it because it won't be the last time I do so, either." Peeta finished his rant with heavy breath. He hadn't realized exactly how much Katniss's behavior bothered him until he was practically screaming at her. He felt slightly guilty for doing so, especially when half of his anger originated from feelings she had no idea he had, but he also had to make her understand what exactly she agreed to when she said yes to his proposal all those weeks ago.

Katniss watched as Peeta exploded, releasing his anger that was properly aimed at her. She didn't know why exactly she acted the way she had in the bookstore. The past few weeks she had been feeling funny, with all this pent up sexual energy, and she thought Finnick would be a perfect place to let it all out. She suddenly found it hard to meet Peeta's eye. "Peeta, you're right."

"I'm what?" Peeta's eyes snapped directly to Katniss's face. She could feel his penetrating gaze.

Katniss cleared her throat once. "I said you're right. I wasn't thinking about all of that and I should've been. I'm just not as good at this acting thing as you are."

Peeta swallowed, cringing slightly on the word acting.

"I'll do better. I promise," Katniss continued. "Just…maybe give me a warning next time you're about to kiss me?"

Katniss looked up at Peeta pleadingly, her eyes bright. Peeta smiled slightly, cursing himself for not being able to stay angry with her.

"Sure."

Katniss relaxed, the corners of her mouth pulling slightly. "Coming?" Katniss reached out a hand toward Peeta.

Peeta stared at the hand for a solid thirty seconds, surprised at the offering, before taking it in his, enveloping her small palm in his warmth. They walked off together out of the ally, their fingers intertwining.

Later that night, when they were getting ready to go to sleep, Katniss surprised Peeta once again. "You can sleep in the bed if you want."

Peeta froze, halfway between sitting and standing over the sofa. "What?"

"Sleep in the bed…if you want."

"I'm not letting you take the couch, Katniss," Peeta said. He knew this conversation would come up at some point.

"No," Katniss said, tucking her chin to her chest and blushing profusely. "I meant share the bed…with me."

"Oh." Peeta was speechless and he wondered if the question was a trap. Even if it wasn't, sharing a bed with Katniss could end up being a very bad idea. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I mean…we don't know how long we'll be stuck here and I can't let you sleep on that couch the whole time."

When Peeta didn't move, Katniss sighed, sliding under the covers and patting the spot next to her. "It's not a big deal, Peeta. Just…stay on your side."

"If you're sure," Peeta mumbled, walking over to the open side of the bed. _His _side. He realized something had changed that day in the ally and he wasn't sure if it was a good change yet. He glanced once more at Katniss, who was already lying down with her eyes closed, before lifting the covers and settling down beside her.

**Author's Notes: I actually had this chapter finished several days ago, but my internet was down and a man had to come to my house to replace the router. So I apologize for the wait, but hopefully it wasn't too long. Let me know what you think. Anything you write is extremely helpful.**


End file.
